Abuja (Nigeria).

The International Scientific Council for Trypanosomiasis Research and Control (ISCTRC) is a statutory Council of the African Union Commission with the Secretariat at African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal resources (AU-IBAR) in Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in the early 60s as a vehicle to promote international cooperation in the fight against trypanosomiasis which is one of Africa’s greatest constraints to socio-economic development, severely affecting human and livestock health, limiting land use, causing poverty and perpetuating underdevelopment on the continent. In order to achieve its objectives, the Council facilitates information sharing and exchange on matters regarding tsetse and trypanosomiasis research and control by holding regular General Scientific Conferences since 1949.

The General Conference is a five-day event that is normally attended by 300 participants from the 38 affected African countries and international organizations with over 100 scientific papers being presented. The meeting disseminates scientific information on tsetse, human and animal trypanosomiasis problem, reviews control strategies and recommends appropriate approaches in research and control. It is as a result of these meetings that information on improving control of tsetse and trypanosomiasis has been acquired and has benefitted many countries on the continent resulting in improved livelihoods especially of the rural communities where the problem has the highest impacts. The research outputs emanating from the ISCTRC scientific community is providing new information necessary for smarter methods of tsetse and trypanosomiasis control. The last (34th) ISCTRC General Conference was held in Livingstone, Zambia on 11th to 15th September 2017 and the 35th ISCTRC Conference will be held in Abuja, Nigeria on 23rd to 27th September 2019.