A targeted door-to-door strategy for sleeping sickness detection in low-prevalence settings in Côte d'Ivoire

Significant efforts to control human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) over the three past decades have resulted in drastic reductions of disease prevalence in Côte d'Ivoire. In this context, the costly and labor-intensive active mass screening strategy is no longer efficient. In addition to a more cost-effective passive surveillance system being implemented in this low-prevalence context, our aim was to develop an alternative targeted active screening strategy. In 2012, we carried out a targeted door-to-door (TDD) survey focused on the immediate vicinities of former HAT patients detected in the HAT focus of Bonon and compared the results to those obtained during classical active mass screening (AMS) surveys conducted from 2000 to 2012 in the same area. The TDD that provides a friendlier environment, inviting inhabitants to participate and gain awareness of the disease, detected significantly more HAT cases than the AMS. These results suggest that the TDD is an efficient and useful strategy in low-prevalence settings where very localized transmission cycles may persist and, in combination with passive surveillance, could help in eliminating HAT.