Welcome to Travelturtle, the travel health advice site that provides you with country specific medical and vaccination reports usually only available to registered UK healthcare professionals.
Use this page to access key information about African Trypanosomiasis and it’s related dangers.
- Find generic information about African Sleeping Sickness, what it is, where it’s commonly found.
- Gleam more specific information about the effects of the Sleeping Sickness and its impact on the body.
- Find tips on prevention of the disease and if it can be prevented at all.
- Finally, find a danger rating to give you a clear indication of how seriously you should take the illness.
African trypanosomiasis
What is it?
Sleeping sickness is caused by a parasite called a trypanasoma which enters the body via an insect bite. There are two types: African and American.
African sleeping sickness is spread by the bite of the tsetse fly and there are two sub-types – T. Rhodesiense and T. Gambiense – found in East and West Africa respectively. T. Rhodesiense is transmitted from animals and is a particular danger to visitors to game parks and those who work with animals. T Gambiense tends to affect those living in rural areas.
What does it do?
In African sleeping sickness the bite develops a chancre, which looks rather like a boil and is full of the trypanosome. As this develops it causes fever, anaemia and enlarged lymph nodes and spleen. The trypanosomes may ultimately spread to the brain to cause coma and death. T. Rhodesiense is more aggressive and develops more quickly.
Where is it ?
The disease is found exclusively in South America and Africa.
Can it be treated?
There are various anti-trypanosome preparations but the drugs are old and newer treatments are needed.
Can it be prevented?
Tsetse fly bites are difficult to avoid as the flies are not put off by repellents and can even bite through thin clothing. They like the colour blue. Most tourists are bitten on game drives in Central and East Africa.
