Tsetse control: something old, something new

摘要

In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the land is fertile and the rainfall plenty. But that's not enough: for crop production to achieve its potential in those fertile areas, the tsetse fly must be controlled. Both FAO and the International Centre forInsect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) are developing innovative variations on traditional control methods. Several of the 22 species of tsetse fly (genus Glossina), carriers of the blood parasite Trypanosoma, cause disease and death in both man and cattle. About 10 million square kilometres in Africa's humid and sub-humid tropics are believed tsetse-ridden. An estimated 55 million humans are at risk of contracting "sleeping sickness" and 58 million head of cattle risk contracting a wasting disease known popularly as "nagana."