Toward the elimination of HAT in Nigeria: leaving no community behind

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.