Sleeping Sickness or African Trypanosomiasis

Sleeping sickness is caused by Trypanosoma. Trypanosomes are flagellated protozoans affecting humans and animals. Human trypanosomiasis is endemic in Africa as sleeping sickness (caused by Trypanosoma brucei) and Latin America as Chagas disease (caused by T. cruzi). Human trypanosomiasis is not known to exist in India. However, animal trypanosomiasis is endemic in India. 

A bite by the tsetse fly is often painful and can develop into a red sore, also called a chancre. Fever, severe headaches, irritability, extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and aching muscles and joints are common symptoms of sleeping sickness. Some people develop a skin rash. Progressive confusion, personality changes, and other neurologic problems occur after infection has invaded the central nervous system. If left untreated, infection becomes worse and death will occur within months.

*Symptoms usually occurs within 1-3 weeks of the infective bites.