Abstract
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) keeps resurfacing in Zimbabwe raising the need to capacitate the health system with adequate tools to eliminate the disease as a public health threat in the country. The aim of this study is to document recorded HAT cases in Zimbabwe as well as highlighting the impact of the disease and potential control strategies. Published research articles with main focus on HAT in Africa and Zimbabwe were used. The country recorded zero cases of HAT from 1998 to 2004, contrary to that 28 cases and 3 deaths were recorded between 2005 and 2015 and the highest number of cases were recorded in 2012 (9 cases).
Highlights
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a disease that affects populations in rural Africa, where the tsetse fly vector that transmits the causative trypanosome parasites thrives
The review of HAT cases in Zimbabwe was necessitated by the sudden increase in number of new cases in 2012 (9 cases) [12]
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority wrote to the directorate Epidemiology and Disease Control, Ministry of Health and Child Care, informing them about the cases of HAT, which kept resurfacing in the Zambezi valley (Mana pools)
Summary
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a disease that affects populations in rural Africa, where the tsetse fly vector that transmits the causative trypanosome parasites thrives. There are two forms of HAT: One, known as gambiense HAT, which is endemic in West and Central Africa (24 countries) and accounts for over 95% of current cases; the other, known as rhodesiense HAT, is endemic in East and southern Africa (13 countries) and accounts for the remainder of cases [1]. The etiologic agent for the disease in Zimbabwe is Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense that is transmitted by tsetse flies of the genus Glossina [2].
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