Sterile Insect Technique - Sterile Fly For African Trypanosomiasis

Sterile Fly For African Trypanosomiasis

Sleeping sickness or the African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease in humans. Caused by protozoa of genus Trypanosoma and transmitted by the Tsetse fly, the disease is endemic in certain regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, covering about 36 countries and 60 million people. It is estimated that 50,000 - 70,000 people are infected, and about 40,000 die every year. Three major epidemics have occurred in the past hundred years, in 1896 - 1906, 1920, and 1970.

Studies of the tsetse fly show that females generally only mate once in their lifetimes and very rarely mate a second time. Once a female fly has mated, she can then produce continual offspring throughout her short life.

The sterile fly is an innovative solution to the problem of the African trypanosomiasis. Specially bred male Tsetse flies are sterilized through irradiation process. These sterilized male flies are then released into areas where sleeping sickness is prevalent, and then mate with the females. Because the male is sterile, and the females mate only once, the population of Tsetse flies in the affected area will drop. Studies have shown that this process has been very effective in preventing sleeping sickness in people who live in the area.

Since sleeping sickness is fatal without treatment and infected people can be without symptoms for months, the release of sterile flies into affected areas leads to greater levels of health and economic activity.