Our client was conducting drilling in a remote, ecologically sensitive location of western Uganda that had a high tsetse fly population.
Tsetse flies feed on mammalian blood and their bite can be extremely painful to humans. In addition, tsetse flies can transmit Human African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness).
Tsetse fly biting was disrupting our client’s operations as well as adversely affecting local communities.
Solution
Montrose was requested to design and implement a programme to control the local tsetse fly population.
Montrose liaised with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to ensure all ecological considerations and approvals were met. We then carried out a site survey and established a tsetse fly baseline using biconical baited traps. This was followed by an integrated vector control programme to control the tsetse flies using pyramidal traps, target traps and “pour on” (live bait technology) insecticide applied to cattle grazing around the site.
Impact
Montrose conducted a highly successful control programme to protect local employees and communities from tsetse flies.
Subsequent monitoring of the tsetse flies using biconical traps around the drill pad found a marked reduction in the vector population. This was corroborated by our client’s field staff who progressively reported fewer and then eventually no tsetse fly bites while working at the drill pad.
Local communities also reported fewer tsetse fly bites.
