Feasibility of community-based control of tsetse: A pilot project using Tiny Targets in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis (g-HAT) is a neglected tropical disease caused by trypanosomes transmitted by tsetse flies. 70% of cases in 2019 (604/863) occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The national programme for g-HAT elimination in DRC includes a large-scale deployment of Tiny Targets which attract and kill tsetse. This intervention is directed by vector-control specialists with small teams, moving in canoes, deploying Tiny Targets along riverbanks where tsetse concentrate. While the targets are deployed in communal areas, and the method is cheap and easy-to-use, local people have little involvement. This study aimed to evaluate if a community-led vector control programme was feasible in the context of DRC's g-HAT elimination programme. In 2017, a community-led intervention was implemented in three villages in the Kwilu province of DRC. This intervention was evaluated through an Action Research with qualitative data collected through 21 focus group discussions and 289 hours of observation. Also the geographical location and quality of each Tiny Targets were collected (total number deployed = 2429). This research revealed that community-based approach largely worked: people were motivated and proactive, showed a good application of the acquired knowledge resulting in an effective deployment of Tiny Targets. In addition, our study provided evidence that acceptability of the targets by the community can improve deployment quality by reducing target loss and damage. The approach was feasible in places where canoe-based teams could not reach. Against these advantages, a community-based approach was time-consuming and had to adapt to the seasonal and daily rhythms of the community. A community-based approach for tsetse control is technically feasible and recommended but limits to the speed and scale of the approach restraints its application as a standalone strategy in a large-scale national programme aiming to eliminate g-HAT in a short timeframe.

‘Where are the dead flies!’: perceptions of local communities towards the deployment of Tiny Targets to control tsetse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

“…Therefore, as with previous studies, our research shows that improving awareness about the function and benefits of vector control tools is a crucial element for acceptability. 31 40 42 45 In Bengi-Kitoy (PL), where information was scarce, the presence of Tiny Targets raised many unanswered questions leading to suspicions and anxiety. This anxiety is even more understandable given that water bodies are closely linked with supernatural power and ancestors’ legacies which are perceived as having a strong influence on the stability of daily life.…”

“…Community deployment further differed from the PL strategy in that Tiny Targets were not deployed along rivers but, instead, in and around fields, fishponds and places where community members had been bitten by tsetse. 31 Timeframe, study area and population of the acceptability study This study took place in February 2018, 6 months after the first deployment of Tiny Targets and before the planned scaling up, in six endemic villages. We selected the three pilot villages of the Dunda health area where the CB approach was implemented in August 2017: Kimwilu Kuba, Kimwela and Kisoko.…”

“…In 2015, the PL project was initiated progressively in three health zones (Yasa Bonga, Masi Manimba and Mosango). 32 The CB strategy was implemented in three villages of Dunda health area part of Yasa Bonga health zone in 2017 31 ( figure 2 ).…”

“…Community deployment further differed from the PL strategy in that Tiny Targets were not deployed along rivers but, instead, in and around fields, fishponds and places where community members had been bitten by tsetse. 31 …”

Prospects for developing efficient targets for the xenomonitoring and control of Simulium damnosum s.l., the major vectors of onchocerciasis in Africa

“…Behavioural studies on visual responses to target shapes have been carried out with other hematophagous insects and have proven immensely successful with tsetse, leading to the development of effective targets for both trypanosomiasis surveillance and vector control (Tirados et al, 2015; Vander Kelen et al, 2020). Conversely, few studies conducted on developing targets for either monitoring or controlling the vectors of onchocerciasis have been reported.…”