Mechanisms and Contextual Factors Affecting the Implementation of Animal Health Surveillance in Tanzania: A Process Evaluation.

A strong animal health surveillance system is an essential determinant of the health of animal and human population. To ensure its functionality and performance, it needs to be evaluated regularly. Therefore, a process evaluation was conducted in this study to assess animal health surveillance processes, mechanisms and the contextual factors which facilitate or hinder uptake, implementation and sustainability of the system in Tanzania.

Leveraging Sub-national Collaboration and Influence for Improving Animal Health Surveillance and Response: A Stakeholder Mapping in Tanzania.

Animal health surveillance plays a vital role in ensuring public health, animal welfare, and sustainable food production by monitoring disease trends, early detecting (new) hazards, facilitating disease control and infection, and providing data for risk analysis. Good stakeholder collaboration across the sector can lead to better communication, better science and decision-making and more effective surveillance and response. An understanding of relevant stakeholders, their interests and their power can facilitate such collaboration.

Performance of Ag-ELISA in the diagnosis of Taenia solium cysticercosis in naturally infected pigs in Tanzania.

Background: Taenia solium is a zoonotic parasite responsible for neurocysticercosis-a major cause of late-onset acquired epilepsy in humans. Lack of affordable, specific and sensitive diagnostic tools hampers control of the parasite. This study assessed the performance of an antigen detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA) in the diagnosis of viable T.

TSOL18 vaccine and oxfendazole for control of Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs: A field trial in endemic areas of Tanzania.

A field trial was conducted in Tanzania to determine the effectiveness of TSOL18 vaccine used concurrently with oxfendazole (OFZ), and of OFZ alone, on T. solium cysticercosis determined by organ and half carcase dissection of slaughter age pigs. This study followed a quasi-experimental group design.

Endemicity of Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs from Mbeya Rural and Mbozi districts, Tanzania.

Background: Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis is a disease of substantial economic and public health importance particularly in low-income countries. The disease was reported to be endemic in Mbeya Rural and Mbozi districts, in the southern highlands of Tanzania, the major pig production area in the country. In 2008, using B158/B60 antigen detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Ag-ELISA), porcine cysticercosis prevalence of up to 32% was reported in the districts.

Spatial clustering of porcine cysticercosis in Mbulu district, northern Tanzania.

Background: Porcine cysticercosis is caused by a zoonotic tapeworm, Taenia solium, which causes serious disease syndromes in human. Effective control of the parasite requires knowledge on the burden and pattern of the infections in order to properly direct limited resources. The objective of this study was to establish the spatial distribution of porcine cysticercosis in Mbulu district, northern Tanzania, to guide control strategies.