Prevalence of human african trypanosomiasis in and around refugee camps in Kasulu district, Kigoma region, Tanzania

Abstract

A prevalence survey was carried out in six villages of Kasulu district Western Tanzania using Card Agglutination Test for Trypanosomiasis (CA TT), Haematocrit Centrifugation Technique (CHCT) and both thick and thin blood smears. The aim of the study was to determine the magnitude of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) in and around refugee camps of Kasulu district. A total of 682 persons were screened utiliz ng the three above-mentioned techniques, as well as conducting in-depth interviews to health workers of the surveyed health facilities so as to assess the knowledge of sleeping sickness diagnosis, and treatment. Out of the 682 individuals screened, only 10 (1.5%) were found to be positive for human African trypanosomiasis, and out of them 8 (1.2%) were seropositive and 2 were seronegative. But the 2 seronegative individuals were parasitologically positive - an indication that they were posi tive for rhodesiense parasites. Out of the 8 seropositive ones, 2 were also parasitologically confirmed to be harbouring the parasites. In the in-depth interviews ccnducted to 8 health workers (clinical officers and in- charge of laboratories), 8 (1(10%) of denied receiving sleeping sickness patients in the health facilities, 6 (75%) did not know how to manage cases of human African trypanosomiasis. With a point prevalence of 1.5% sleeping sickness does not appear to be a public health problem in Kasulu district, The positivity of CATT indicates that cases of gambiense trypanosomes have been detected in villages of Kasulu district. However,

viii no positive cases were detected in refugee camps, suggesting that the gambiense parasites detected in the Kasulu district villages were probably not imported from neighbouring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo or Burundi.