Human African trypanosomiasis prevention, treatment and control costs: A systematic review

Abstract

The control and eventual elimination of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) requires the expansion of current control and surveillance activities. A systematic review of the published literature on the costs of HAT prevention, treatment, and control, in addition to the economic burden, was conducted. All studies that contained primary or secondary data on costs of prevention, treatment and control were considered, resulting in the inclusion of 42 papers. The geographically focal nature of the disease and a lack of standardization in the cost data limit the usefulness of the available information for making generalizations across diverse settings. More recent information on the costs of treatment and control interventions for HAT is needed to provide accurate information for analyses and planning. The cost information contained herein can be used to inform rational decision making in control and elimination programs, and to assess potential synergies with existing vector-borne disease control programs, but programs would benefit significantly from new cost data collection.

Crystal structures and inhibition of Trypanosoma brucei hypoxanthine–guanine phosphoribosyltransferase

“…HAT is a devastating and often fatal disease in humans and domestic animals that is endemic to 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa1. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 20,000 new cases of HAT occur each year with a further 65 million people at risk of infection12. HAT is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tsetse fly.…”

The Major Protein Arginine Methyltransferase in Trypanosoma brucei Functions as an Enzyme-Prozyme Complex

“…An estimated 70 million people are at risk of the infection, and the World Health Organization estimates about 20,000 new cases per year (1). In the search for new treatments, understanding the basic biology of the parasite is a cornerstone on the path to discovery of novel biological processes that could potentially serve as drug targets (2).…”

Identification ofTrypanosoma brucei gambienseandT. b. rhodesiensein vectors using multiplexed high-resolution melt analysis

“…With declining numbers of cases, active screening programmes are no longer cost-effective (5) and there is a need for a monitoring tool which can be maintained sustainably for rHAT and post-elimination for gHAT.…”