Introduction to the stamp out sleeping sickness campaign

The Stamp Out Sleeping sickness (SOS) campaign is a public private partnership launched in Kampala, Uganda in October 2006. This partnership was formed in response to an emergency situation arising in a number of districts in Northern Uganda where the two strains of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) – also known as “sleeping sickness”- threaten to converge. This could have a catastrophic effect for the already stretched local health services. Sleeping sickness threatens more than 66 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, whereof ten million in Uganda, killing more than 100 people a day.

Transmitted by the tsetse fly the trypanosomes or parasites can affect either humans or animals. In animals the disease is known as "nagana". It causes three million cattle deaths every year and widespread chronic ill-health, abortion and reduced productivity of cattle herds. In addition nagana also has a direct negative impact on the development of an efficient farming and livestock keeping industry in the region. The economic loss in cattle production is estimated at a staggering 4 billion USD per year. Cattle are also the main reservoir for the human sleeping sickness parasite.

During the eight weeks of the initial emergency intervention, final year veterinary students from Makerere University successfully treated approximately 250,000 cattle in five districts in Northern Uganda, reducing the prevalence of the sleeping sickness parasite in the cattle by close to 70 per cent. Cattle in the Dokolo and Kaberamaido districts were treated with isometamidium chloride (Veridium ®), which has a prophylactic effect against trypanosome infections for up to three months. Cattle in the remaining SOS target treatment area (districts of Lira, Amolatar and Apac) were treated with diminazene aceturate (Veriben B12®), which is curative, but does not have a prophylactic effect against new trypanosome infections. The choice between the two depended on the level of infection in the district. After treatment each animal was also sprayed with a deltamethrin based insecticide (Vectocid®) by use of the Restricted Application Protocol (RAP), ie spraying only the legs and belly of the cow, as well as spraying the ears for ticks, in order to prevent re-infection as well as reduce the numbers of tsetse.

This was the first time the veterinary students were given a chance of hands-on in-field experience and an opportunity to do community service, making them much better equipped for their future working lives in the public and private sectors. This positive and highly motivational experience has led the Veterinary Faculty at Makerere University to adapt the curriculum in order to accommodate such lecture free periods, the InTracs programme, on a ongoing basis allowing students to be deployed in-field and undertake treatment, spraying, sampling, interviews etc during these weeks.

As this protective spraying with insecticides needs to be repeated on at least a monthly basis to provide the necessary protection against tsetse feeding and risk of re-infection, the SOS partners have engaged in building a platform for sustainability through educating and teaching farmers and key stakeholders on sleeping sickness and the close links between animal health and human health and economic development. To further empower farmers and communities to "do it for themselves" additional initiatives have been put in place by the private sector partners, like mobile spray teams and the start-up of private veterinary practices and drug shops in previously unserved areas of the SOS districts, the so called "3 V Vet Initiative".

SOS press-kit

Download the SOS press-kit here

The SOS partnership founding stakeholders are:

Ceva Santé Animale, multinational veterinary pharmaceutical group
Coordinating Office for Control of Trypanosomiasis in Uganda (COCTU)Centre for Infectious Diseases, University of Edinburgh
IK Investment Partners / IKARE, pan-European private equity firm and sponsored charity
Makerere University; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine