Susan Welburn

Dr. Sue Welburn is a reader in molecular epidemiology based at the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Over the past 15 years, her research work has been centered on southeast Uganda and Tanzania, focusing on the epidemiology of human sleeping sickness and interactions at the trypanosome / tsetse fly interface. Key objectives of this research programme have been to quantify the importance of the animal reservoir of disease for human sleeping sickness and to delineate the policy implications for control options. Sleeping sickness has existed in SE Uganda for more that 100 years, but little effort or resources have been applied to controlling the principal parasite reservoir of the disease in domestic livestock or in wildlife. Control options have instead focused on controlling tsetse flies. Considering that up to 18% of cattle in SE Uganda may be infected with the human parasite whilst less than 1:1000 tsetse flies are infected, it would seem appropriate to target interventions towards controlling the animal reservoir of disease.