Accurate data key to tsetse fly control

ARUSHA: ACCURATE data collection is essential to strengthening efforts to control tsetse flies in Africa, helping experts establish the extent of infestation, develop appropriate interventions and guide evidence-based decisions.

Experts from 16 subSaharan African countries recently gathered in Arusha for a two-week regional training aimed at improving tsetse fly control through science, nuclear technology and cross-border cooperation.

Officially opening the training, Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission (TAEC) Director-General, Professor Najat Mohammed said reliable data would help experts understand the distribution and extent of infestation in different areas and determine the most appropriate control methods.

She said effective interventions depended on understanding the nature of the problem, adding that the training was designed to equip participants with technical knowledge and practical skills to improve control strategies in their respective countries.

Professor Mohammed explained that the programme combined theoretical instruction with practical exercises.

The first week would focus on classroombased sessions, while the second would involve fieldwork in tsetse fly-infested areas and laboratory training at the institution.

She said participants would learn to apply scientific techniques, including the sterile insect technique, which uses radiation to sterilise male tsetse flies before releasing them into the environment.

When sterilised males mate with females, reproduction is reduced, helping to suppress the fly population.

The approach requires technical expertise, careful preparation and monitoring to ensure that control activities are properly implemented.

Professor Mohammed stressed that collaboration among African countries was important because tsetse flies and the challenges associated with their control were not confined to national boundaries.

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She said sharing expertise and coordinating interventions could help participating countries strengthen their respective programmes and improve the effectiveness of regional control efforts.

Highlighting Tanzania’s experience, Professor Mohammed cited Zanzibar, where the country collaborated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a project to control tsetse flies using scientific techniques.

She said the experience demonstrated the potential of technology in addressing the challenge posed by the insects, which affect human and animal health and create difficulties for livestock production.

Tsetse flies transmit trypanosomiasis, a disease that can affect both people and animals. In livestock, the disease can undermine productivity and impose additional challenges on farmers.

Meanwhile, Kenya’s Regional Coordinator, Ms Agnes Otwani, said her country had made progress in controlling tsetse flies and reducing the number of livestock affected by diseases transmitted by the insects.

She said exchanging knowledge and practical experiences among specialists from different countries was essential to improving control methods and addressing shared challenges.

The two-week training is expected to strengthen participants’ ability to apply data, science and technology in developing sustainable interventions and reducing the impact of tsetse flies on human health and livestock across Africa.

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