Senegal nears first victory in war on tsetse fly

A statement from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) quoted Baba Sall, Project Manager and Head of the Animal Health Section in the Ministry of Livestock, saying that tsetse will soon be eradicated in the country. “Since the project started, there is already less disease. It has not only reduced the tsetse but also ticks, […]

A statement from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) quoted Baba Sall, Project Manager and Head of the Animal Health Section in the Ministry of Livestock, saying that tsetse will soon be eradicated in the country.
“Since the project started, there is already less disease. It has not only reduced the tsetse but also ticks, which cause lots of other diseases in the area. We have noticed over all better health of the herds,” Sall said.
The Niayes area has a coastal micro-climate suitable for exotic breeds of cattle, the kind that produces more milk and meat than domestic stock.
Unfortunately, the area is also home to the tsetse fly, which transmits trypanosomiasis. Often lethal, the disease reduces fertility, weight gain, meat and milk production and makes the cattle too weak to be used for plough or transport purposes.
The eradication of the tsetse fly is done by using a method called the Sterile Insect Technique. The programme is supported by FAO, through its joint division with the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Vienna.