Ghana to host Pan 10th PATTEC Meeting

Ghana will host the 10th Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC) National Coordinators’ Meeting in Accra on Wednesday, June 13.

The three-day meeting, which is being organized by PATTEC Coordination Unit of the African Union Commission, in collaboration with the African Development Bank and the Government; would evaluate achievements made by countries, review work done and reshape work plans to ensure completion of activities on schedule.

A statement issued by the AU Information and Communication Directorate said, lessons learnt would be used to inform project proposals under development in affected countries.

Countries expected to attend the meeting include Burkina Faso, Mali, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Ghana.

Trypasonomiasis is a disease that affects human beings and livestock. It is transmitted by the tsetsefly and is considered as one of the main obstacle for socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. About 40 countries are affected and the PATTEC’s initiative aims to eradicate tsetse and trpanosomiasis from the continent.

This is the second time Ghana is hosting such a meeting and has achieved a successful aerial spraying operation in the Upper West Region by the National Tsetse Control Programme, which had reduced tsetsefly population by 99.6 per cent in 2010.

Ghana is now seeking further support to repeat the success story to other infested areas of the country. **