Objectives: Sleeping sickness, also known as human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is a tsetse fly-borne neglected tropical disease that affects underserved rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the advancements in diagnostics, the actual status of sleeping sickness in Nigeria remains unclear. In our quest for clarity, we conducted a human population survey to ascertain the prevalence of HAT in tsetse fly-infested remote rural hamlets.
Methods: Blood samples were collected from 72 consenting participants by finger pricking. Blood samples were blotted on a Flinders Technology Associate Classic Card and screened for T. b. gambiense infection using colorimetric loop-mediated amplification with Trypanosoma brucei gambiense surface glycoprotein-specific (TgsGP) primers.
Results: Of the 72 consenting individuals, 40.28% (55.17% men, 44.83% women) were infected with T. b. gambiense (P = 0.738). Age group 51-60 years had the highest prevalence of 77.78% (P = 0.214). The infection rate was higher among uneducated individuals, with a prevalence of 34.48% (P = 0.007). Alaho had the highest prevalence (66.67%), followed by Arabata (38.10%) and Oloya (31.43%) (P = 0.035).
Conclusions: Silent transmission of HAT is ongoing at the study sites, warranting intensified community sensitization and surveillance scale-up. An urgent, health-guided, strategic control approach is imperative to prevent epidemics in hamlets and a devastating resurgence in Nigeria.
}, year = {2025}, journal = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases}, volume = {152}, pages = {7}, publisher = {Elsevier BV}, issn = {1201-9712}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1201971225000323/pdfft?md5=fe465cb22c359b84425861abe2e19e14&pid=1-s2.0-S1201971225000323-main.pdf}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijid.2025.107808}, language = {ENG}, }