Development of a practical framework for sustainable surveillance and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Africa

Felix Nchu; Nkululeko Nyangiwe; Dennis Muhanguzi; Jahashi Nzalawahe; Yakob Petro Nagagi; George Msalya; Natala Audu Joseph; Esther Gwae Kimaro; Margaret Mollel; Violet Temba; Difo Voukang Harouna

doi:10.14202/vetworld.2020.1910-1921

Development of a practical framework for sustainable surveillance and control of ticks and tick-borne diseases in Africa

Vet World. 2020 Sep;13(9):1910-1921. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2020.1910-1921. Epub 2020 Sep 19.

Authors

Felix Nchu¹, Nkululeko Nyangiwe^{2

3}, Dennis Muhanguzi⁴, Jahashi Nzalawahe⁵, Yakob Petro Nagagi⁶, George Msalya^{7

8}, Natala Audu Joseph⁹, Esther Gwae Kimaro⁶, Margaret Mollel⁶, Violet Temba⁶, Difo Voukang Harouna¹⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Horticultural Sciences, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bellville, Symphony Way, Bellville, Cape Town, 7535, South Africa.
² Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform, Döhne Agricultural Development Institute, Private Bag X15, Stutterheim 4930, South Africa.
³ Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa.
⁴ Department of Biomolecular and Biolaboratory Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Biotechnology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3019, Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania.
⁶ Division of Livestock and Human Diseases Vector Control, Tropical Pesticides Research Institute, P.O. Box 3024, Arusha, Tanzania.
⁷ Department of Animal, Aquaculture and Range Sciences, College of Agriculture, Sokoine University of Agriculture, P. O. Box 3004, Chuo Kikuu, Morogoro, Tanzania.
⁸ Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Kagoshima University, 1-21-24 Korimoto, Kagoshima 890-0065, Japan.
⁹ Department of Veterinary Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
¹⁰ Department of Food Biotechnology and Nutritional Sciences, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, P. O. Box 447, Arusha, Tanzania.

Abstract

A workshop on ticks and tick-borne diseases (T&TBDs) was held on June 25 and 26, 2019, at the Tropical Pesticides Research Institute, Division of Livestock and Human Diseases Vector Control, Arusha, Tanzania. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss the current situation and to formulate actionable strategies to improve surveillance and control of T&TBDs in Africa. The workshop was funded by the National Research Foundation and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and attended by livestock health providers, farmers, and researchers from East, West, and Southern African countries. During the workshop, experts presented recent surveillance data focused on T&TBDs; participants discussed research opportunities and community engagement. The primary outcome of the workshop was the creation of a new research consortium known as The African Consortium for T&TBDs. The consortium is intended to function as a community for researchers, students, farmers, policymakers, extension workers, and community members who are interested in the advancement of T&TBD control. The consortium will engage in research activities that focus on comprehensive surveillance of T&TBDs, developing tick acaricide resistance, alternative tick control programs, and policy development and education. These areas were identified as top priorities to be developed to improve T&TBD control on the continent.

Keywords: Africa; consortium; tick-borne diseases; ticks.