[Cost of a national program to control human African trypanosomiasis in the high Mbomou region, Central African Republic].

An outbreak of human African trypanosiaisis is ongoing in the High Mbomou area of the Central African Republic. This area is located on the Sudanese border approximately 1,100 kilometers from the capital city of Bangui. According to current estimates, the cost of implementing the National Human African Trypanosomiasis Program is 754,000 United States Dollars, i.e., 4.1 dollars per protected inhabitant. However actual conditions in the field suggest that this estimate should be revised. Special field conditions include constant refugee movement across the border, lack of accurate epidemiological data concerning neighboring Haut Zaire, and low participation of village residents in mass screening operations (less than 50%). In response to these problems, the authors recommend the organization of more exploratory missions to allow better targeting of screening and therapy. In the initial plan, exploratory missions were to account for 1% of the total cost. This proportion will probably require upward adjustment.