DiTECT-HAT: Dr Charlie Compaoré defends thesis on new tools to control African trypanosomiasis

Dr Charlie Compaoré, a PhD of the DiTECT-HAT project, successfully presented his PhD thesis at the Nasi Boni University in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso on 15 October 2022. The DiTECT-HAT project validated the performance of diagnostic tools and algorithms for early and rapid diagnosis of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT). Dr Compaoré evaluated the performance of new diagnostic tools and algorithms in order to propose appropriate medical control strategies for HAT – or sleeping sickness – elimination in Burkina Faso. He demonstrated that screening by a rapid diagnostic test, followed by trypanolysis, can be a useful strategy for post-elimination surveillance in Burkina Faso. Furthermore, his results suggest that T. b. gambiense no longer circulates in South-West Burkina Faso and that zero transmission has probably been achieved. Dr Compaoré published his results in Parasite (2022) and in Experimental Parasitology (2020).