By Duncan Mboyah
The African Union (AU) and Kenya have urged African countries to deploy Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the management of trypanosomiasis.
Dr. Huyam Salih, Director of the African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), told scientists from the 38 African countries where trypanosomiasis is still a problem to help deploy AI and integration.
“Trypanosomiasis is a transboundary disease, hence the need for the use of modern technology through one health data platforms for vector mapping, prediction and surveillance for parasite detection and resistance monitoring,” Dr. Salih said during the 37th International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Noting that AU-IBAR is in the process of rolling out the African Union Digital One Health Platform (AU-DOHP) to promote one health data integration and sharing, she observed that countries need to ensure that technologies are accessible and adaptable to local contexts.
Dr. Salih called on African governments to accelerate efforts to eradicate trypanosomiasis on the continent through collaboration and innovation.
The AU official urged experts to apply a one health approach in their eradication approaches since trypanosomiasis continues to rob millions of livestock-dependent communities of their livelihoods.
She noted that trypanosomiasis continues to deny employment to countless youth across the continent, and contributes to malnutrition and stunting among children due to poor livestock health and reduced productivity.
Dr. Salih revealed that 38 out of 55 countries in Africa are affected by tsetse and trypanosomiasis, while 50 million cattle are at risk of trypanosomiasis, resulting in an annual death toll of 3 million.
She added that an estimated USD 1.2 billion is directly lost annually from reduced meat and milk production, treatment costs, and vector control, while nearly six million people were exposed to the risk of trypanosomiasis in 2024.
She, however, noted that the number reduced from 28,000 in 1999 to 583 in 2024 due to decades of coordinated surveillance, treatment innovation, and vector control efforts across endemic regions
Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, urged experts and scientists to work together to find solutions to the challenges posed by tsetse fly in Africa through modern technologies such as AI.
“The impact of trypanosomiasis disease is felt across sub-Saharan Africa, and it is crucial that scientists work together to combat it as the challenge transcends boundaries, sectors and disciplines,” Kagwe said.
Kenya is among the 38 African countries affected by the tsetse fly, with approximately 23 percent of its landmass infested. He added that the presence of tsetse fly has significant implications for livestock and agricultural productivity in Kenya, particularly in the rangelands where over 70 percent of the livestock population is reared.
Kagwe noted that Kenya loses 143 million USD annually due to tsetse and trypanosomiasis infections. The economic impact of Trypanosomiasis on agricultural production is estimated at a staggering USD 5 billion annually across tsetse-infested regions.
Trypanosomiasis also contributes to decreased draft power and fertility, which undermines food security and rural livelihood.
The global scientists are having a one-week conference to discuss the elimination of trypanosomiasis, a disease that remains one of Africa’s greatest constraints to socio-economic development.
The meeting under the theme ‘Harnessing one health technologies and innovations towards eliminating trypanosomiasis in Africa’ is being attended by 300 delegates.
