Sterile insect release and trypanosomiasis control: a plea for realism

Abstract

I must correct the misconception held by Molyneux that PAAT (Programme Against African Trypanosomiasis) and PATTEC (Pan Africa Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign) are synonymous. The former is an international umbrella organization that seeks to embrace all those committed to the study, control and ultimate eradication of trypanosomiasis in humans and domestic livestock. The latter is a campaign, identified and endorsed by the Organization of African Unity (OAU) heads of state, which has as its long-term objective the eradication of tsetse from Africa. This Campaign is based on priorities that take into account impact as well as technical and logistical feasibility. A full explanation of the relationship between the two initiatives was published in the PAAT newsletter, No. 9, May 2001.The summary of recent PAAT discussions, as presented by Janice Taverne, is somewhat incomplete. The confusion expressed by Molyneux is therefore understandable and to clarify, I quote from my own contribution to the original discussion; ‘My response to the first point made by Guy Freeland is that it is such obvious good common sense that it should not need saying …and should require no further debate’.I refrain from comment on the extrapolation of the Zanzibar sterile insect release (SIT) campaign costs and timeframe to the eradication of tsetse from Africa because, as Molyneux demonstrates, they become totally impractical and meaningless. The important outcome of this operation is the conclusive demonstration that SIT is technically proven as a tool for tsetse eradication and that its application at the field level is feasible in practice.Molyneux in conclusion, strongly advocates that SIT should be abandoned as an ‘inappropriate, unaffordable, unsustainable and irrelevant concept in the face of public and animal health problems of the continent’. The same could be said for most of the other tools in the tsetse control officer's armory, if the intention was to select a single technique to address the multitude of geographic, biological, climatic and rural scenarios that make up the problem of tsetse in Africa. All techniques offer advantages and disadvantages, technical, environmental, economic or logistic, according to the problem to be addressed and the required objective. Suffice it to say that it is the intention of PATTEC, supported by PAAT, that when SIT is assessed in this context and offers convincing comparative advantage, its application will be given serious consideration.