Nagana

Animal African trypanosomiasis - a threat to economic development and food security

Tsetse transmitted animal African trypanosomiasis, also known as nagana, is unique to Africa. It causes three million cattle deaths every year and widespread chronic ill-health, abortion and reduced productivity of cattle herds. The economic loss in cattle production is estimated at a staggering 4 billion USD per year. But the greatest loss is perhaps in human food production; it has been shown that in the absence of oxen for cultivation, crop production can fall by up to 80%. In addition in some parts of Africa, such as the Lake Victoria basin in East Africa, tsetse spread the human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness which affects an estimated half a million people every year.