What is African Animal Trypanosomosis?

Why in news?

• Ethiopia’s National Institute for Control and Eradication of Tsetse and Trypanosomosis (NICETT), through this atlas initiative, aims to establish a reference for the distribution of tsetse flies and African animal trypanosomosis (AAT) in western Ethiopia.

 

What is AAT?

• It is caused by the parasitic protozoa trypanosomes, which are transmitted by the bite of tsetse flies, an African blood-sucking fly.
• It is a major livestock disease constraining sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural production.

• There is no vaccine, and existing drugs are becoming less effective because of the development of resistance in parasites.
• A human form of the disease also exists, known as human African trypanosomosis or sleeping sickness.

 

On-going Projects related to AAT

• The COMBAT project (Controlling and progressively Minimising the Burden of Animal Trypanosomosis)

• The European Commission financed a four-year research and innovation project in Africa.
• The project spans from August 2021-August 2025 and houses African countries, including South Africa, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, Senegal, Sudan, Chad, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

 

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Q1) What are Protozoa?

Protozoa are unicellular, eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms and they either free-living or parasites. They possess “true,” or membrane-bound, nucleus.

Source: Ethiopia releases an atlas to map livestock disease caused by the tsetse fly.