**3. Situation in Sub Saharan East Africa**

Pig rearing in Sub Saharan East Africa has been increasing by 10% per year over the past decade and in Uganda pork production increased by ten times between 1985 and 2005. Many people living in rural areas of East Africa depend for their livelihood on smallholder pig farming. The advantage of keeping pigs over cattle or sheep are that pigs grow faster and have more offspring in a short time period, eat leftover food, and are very easy to sell (Lekule & Kyvsgaard 2003; Mutua *et al*. 2010). Smallholder farmers typically live in extended family compounds on an average of one to two acres of land (Kagira *et al* 2010; Mutua *et al*. 2010). Some family members may not use a latrine because of cultural norms or they may not have a functional latrine in the family compound (Githigia et al., 2005; Mutua et al., 2007). When one or more family members does not use the latrine, the life cycle of *T. solium* is enhanced because pigs gain access to human stool. Smallholder farmers who live in poverty grow their own food and therefore have insufficient land for other livestock. Therefore, *T. solium* tends to be a problem of the poorest of the poor. If there is a competition between the food resources between people and pigs, the pigs are kept in the traditional manner in a mixture of free range and tethered management style, largely because the inputs are much lower than under intensive management (Kagira *et al*. 2010; Lekule & Kyvsgaard 2003). Pigs are purchased when the family has some extra money to buy a weaned piglet. Then the pigs are kept to bank small amounts of money, for income generation, and to source money in a hurry when there is a family emergency such as medical needs, school fees, or for food between harvest seasons (Kagira *et al*. 2010; Lekule & Kyvsgaard 2003; Mutua *et al*. 2010).

In areas where *T. solium* is endemic, eradication is only possible by eliminating the reservoirs of the parasite. However, it is difficult to find live infected pigs because the test that is used, an examination of tongue for evidence of cysts, has a very low sensitivity of approximately 50%. Therefore, the only method of keeping infected pigs from the food chain is to ensure that all pigs are inspected by a government official after slaughter. In many developing countries the inspection system is poor and often people in the villages use home slaughter after which they sell meat from the family's farm (Roman et al., 2000).

### **4. Education**

One study indicates that community behavioural and environmental practices must be modified to prevent continued transmission of cysticercosis and taeniasis (Sarti et al., 1992). This is perhaps best accomplished through education. Researchers have found that education in conjunction with community involvement reduces opportunities for transmission of *T. solium* in the human-pig cycle Sarti et al., 1997. A successful long-term change will only occur if the intervention program is associated with community participation and health education programs (Sarti et al., 1997; Cao et al., 1997; Sanchez et al., 1999; Carrique-Mas et al., 2001).

Education of farmers, butchers and government extension workers is likely the best method to prevent the lifecycle of *T. solium*. The government workers should include public health, adult education, veterinary and livestock specialist and social workers who are responsible for facilitating farmer groups. Ideally the education will also include key community leaders such as teachers, village elders and village chiefs (or the equivalent depending on the societal structure) whose opinion will be valued. It is important that the education includes the pig butchers as well because they are often responsible for slaughtering the pigs and selling raw and cooked pork. The farmers are in the most opportune position to interrupt the life cycle of the parasite by keeping the pig tied and away from human stool and the pig butchers and government veterinary inspectors can identify infected pigs to reduce the number of positive pigs in the food chain.
