African Trypanosomiasis

African Trypanosomiasis Human African trypanosomiasis, known as sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne parasitic disease. Trypanosoma, the parasites concerned, are protozoa transmitted to humans by tsetse flies. Tsetse flies live in Africa, and they are found in vegetation by rivers and lakes, gallery-forests and vast stretches of wooded savannah. Another human form of trypanosomiasis occurs in the Americas and is known as Chagas disease. Sleeping sickness occurs only in sub-Saharan Africa, in regions where tsetse flies …

…which does not mean benign. A person can be infected for months or even years without obvious symptoms of the disease emerging. When symptoms do emerge, the disease is already at an advanced stage. Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense is found in southern and east Africa. It causes acute infection that emerges after a few weeks. It is more virulent than the other strain and develops more rapidly, which means that it is more quickly detected clinically.