AFRICA – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a continental atlas of tsetse flies in Africa, marking a significant milestone in the fight against animal trypanosomosis.
Trypanosomosis is a parasitic disease responsible for substantial economic losses among farmers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Known as “nagana” in cattle, the disease hampers livestock productivity, leading to food insecurity and reduced income for millions of farmers who depend on livestock.
Tsetse flies, of the genus Glossina, are notorious carriers of trypanosomes—parasites that cause debilitating diseases in animals and humans.
In humans, these parasites lead to sleeping sickness, a potentially fatal disease if left untreated.
Although human cases of sleeping sickness have significantly declined, with fewer than 2,000 cases reported annually, the threat of animal trypanosomosis remains severe across Africa. It particularly affects milk and meat production and livestock labour capabilities.
The FAO’s new atlas offers the most comprehensive mapping of tsetse fly distribution across Africa, filling a crucial data gap.
The last continent-wide maps of tsetse distribution were developed over 50 years ago, and until now, there has never been a comprehensive map of animal trypanosomosis occurrence in Africa.
Developed over several years, the atlas draws from many data sources, including 669 scientific papers from 1990 to 2020.
The FAO integrated geolocation data from tools like Google Earth with extensive entomological fieldwork, analysing 7,386 sites across Africa.
The atlas confirms the presence of Glossina species in 34 African countries, ranging from Senegal in the north to South Africa in the south.
Countries like Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Congo, and South Sudan had limited available data.
At the same time, despite being potentially affected, five sub-Saharan nations—Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia—had no published information on tsetse flies. The study did not include northern African countries, historically free of tsetse flies.
The atlas provides critical information for 26 of the 31 recognised tsetse species and subspecies.
The most widespread species include Glossina palpalis and Glossina tachinoides in West Africa, Glossina fuscipes in Central Africa, and Glossina morsitans and Glossina pallidipes in East and Southern Africa.
A tool for policy and practice
This atlas is expected to be a vital tool for policymakers, veterinarians, scientists, and international organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO).
With this new data, countries can make more informed decisions in combating sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomosis.
FAO has already collaborated with several African nations, including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, to adopt its mapping methodologies and integrate them into national information systems.
These maps will help shape national strategies to reduce the prevalence of tsetse fly-borne diseases.
In the atlas’ forward, Thanawat Tiensin, Director of FAO’s Animal Production and Health Division, expressed optimism: “We are hopeful that these tools will help reinvigorate initiatives aimed at removing this major hurdle to sustainable development in Africa and thus contribute to the vision of a healthy world, free of poverty and hunger.”
The FAO atlas was developed under the Programme Against African Trypanosomosis (PAAT), with financial backing from FAO, the Government of Italy, the European Union, and the WHO.
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