Assessing the general feasibility of a tsetse control operation

The first action in planning a tsetse control operation involves assessing whether the general plan that you have in mind is feasible. The user provides Tsetse Plan with some basic information about the local situation. The questions are very simple but the answers enable Tsetse Plan to assess whether the basic plan is feasible.

First, the programme asks you what you are trying to protect (people or cattle), what species of tsetse you are trying to control and a rough estimate of the numbers of tsetse. The programme uses drop-down menus to provide various choices to these questions. There are also help buttons. For instance, for the question about the population density of tsetse, the help button asks how many flies you caught and how you caught them, and then provides an answer for Tsetse Plan.

Tsetse Plan then asks questions about the size and shape of the area that you are planning to control.

Followed by questions about the possible sources of invasion.

These questions enable Tsetse Plan to estimate how much of the controlled area is likely to be invaded from neighbouring areas that are infested with tsetse. If the area that you are trying to control is likely to be overwhelmed by tsetse from neighbouring areas, then you will be provided with a screen like this, telling you that you need to think about changing the size and shpe of the operational area.

If however the basic scale of the operation seems sensible them you will go on to a screen asking questions about the density and distribution of cattle and wild hosts.

The programme then summarises the information that you have provided and then produces a brief report on the local situation with an indication of how tsetse might be controlled and how difficult this is likely to be.