Tropical diseases lacking adequate control measures: dengue leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis.

Abstract

Dengue leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are serious diseases that the World Health Organization (WHO) characterizes as lacking effective control measures. They are transmitted by insect vectors and can result in epidemic outbreaks. Specific treatment is unavailable for dengue although good supportive treatment can drastically reduce mortality. For the leishmaniases and for sleeping sickness treatment relies largely on antiquated drugs based on antimony and arsenic respectively. Sustained control of the insect vectors is difficult for dengue and leishmaniasis because their high reproductive potential allows the vector populations to recover quickly after intervention wherever adequate breeding conditions exist. By contrast tsetse flies the vectors for sleeping sickness have a much lower reproductive potential and could be eliminated over large areas given adequate organization and surveillance. Through the African Union African nations are developing a large-scale initiative for area-wide elimination of tsetse flies partly because of sleeping sickness but also because of their importance as vectors of animal trypanosomiasis which poses a serious constraint to livestock development and agriculture. (excerpt)