A Brief Summery on the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC)

1. Introduction

In July 2000 The Heads of African States and Governments during their annual OAU summit in Lomé Togo made a historic decision to eradicate Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis from the African Continent.

Tsetse Flies transmit a disease which is known as Trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis affects Man (Sleeping Sickness) and Animal (Nagana) affecting 37 African Union Member States. Ten Million km of tropical fertile land in Sub-Saharan Africa is infested with Tsetse Flies. Trypanosomiasis is the major cause for the suffering of large population in Africa through death, debility, diminished productivity and massive economic loss thus causing enormous food shortages and inability of utilizing a large area of productive land for food production. The disease is the major cause of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa.

2. The establishment of the PATTEC Coordination Offices under the auspices of African Union

The African Heads of States taking this huge problem in to their priority consideration gave the mandate to the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) to urgently establish a coordination office to oversee the implementation of the eradication program against Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis. The OAU at that time established a task force to prepare the Strategic Plan for the PATTEC initiative and launch the program in the affected countries. The recommended PATTEC plan of action proposes a phased and systematic Creation of Tsetse free zones through the application of the area wide Technologies and also employing appropriate Tsetse suppressions methods including the use of Traps. Targets. Spraying Techniques. Bush clearing, etc.

The PATTEC coordination office which is established in 2001 has been coordinating the activities of the various countries on the implementation of the PATTEC initiative. The coordination office in close collaboration with various Regional and International partners and stakeholders undertakes to bring together Political, Financial and Technical components of the campaign which are required to ensure sustained action in the various countries

The main areas of interventions by the PATTEC coordination offices are the following Identification and selection of project areas, Preparation and appraisals of bankable projects for the countries Mobilization of Financial, Human and Material resources necessary for the execution of the project, Suppression of Tsetse population by encouraging the use of environment friendly integrated technologies, Coordinating and supervision of all other PATTEC activities on a continental level. It is important to note that most Tsetse affected African Union Member States are committed with our Heads of States decision to comply with the continental program and stand in Union to the challenges of the long term mission and vision to get rid of Tsetse and trypanosomiasis from African continent.

3. The Present Situation of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis in Africa

The implementation of the PATTEC initiative is progressing in the right direction. Three African Union Member States namely Tanzania (Zanzibar), Botswana and Namibia managed to eradicate Tsetse flies from their countries and have been declared Tsetse free. The other African countries have joined the path way of the above countries by implementing PAITEC programs in their respective countries. Several African countries has mobilized their own resource for implementing the PATTEC programs. Six African countries have been given soft loans from African Development Bank (ADB). The situation in the various countries is improving and the result from the various countries on the implementation of the PATTEC program is encouraging.

4. Issuing of the PATTEC Commemorative Stamps

On behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Mr. Jean Ping and the people of Africa who are subjected to the suffering by the courage of Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis we wish to extend our thanks to the people and Government of Ethiopia.

Following the request of H.E, the Commissioner for Rural Development and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union (AU). The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Ministry of Transport and Communication To commemorate PATTEC Stamps, The Ethiopian Postal Service has released four commemorative Stamps. In recognition of the importance of the eradication of the Disease and the suffering it causes to the African people. This set of PATTEC stamps will be very useful tools for the creation of appropriate advocacy, awareness and sensitization to the global community towards their support, proactive participation and contribution for an enhanced eradication of the disease from the African continent. The good example of the Ethiopian PATTEC stamps will be a good model for other African countries to follow the same route in issuing PATTEC commemorative stamps.

Source: PATTEC coordination office. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia