African+Sleeping+Disease

African Sleeping Sickness ﻿ by Yau Yuching

Common names: African Sleeping Sickness, Sleeping Sickness or African Lethargy

Scientific name: Human African Trypanosomiasis

African Sleeping Sickness is a vector-borne parasitic disease. Vector-borne means that the disease is transmitted to people or other animals by an insect or other arthropod. African Sleeping Disease is caused by the protozoa of the species Trypanosoma brucei and is transmitted mainly by tsetse fly bites, which have gotten their infection from humans or animals which have the sickness. The disease can also be transmitted from mother to child in pregnancy, blood transfusions and laboratory accidents. Only certain species of the tsetse fly transmit the disease, which are found in sub-saharan Africa.

There are 2 kinds of Sleeping Sickness that you can get: //Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T.b.g.)// and //Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (T.b.r.).//

//Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T.b.g.)// is found in West and Central Africa. It is the form of Human African Trypanosomiasis in 90% of reported cases. It causes a chronic infection, which a person can have for months or even years without showing any of the major symptoms. When a symptom finally shows, the person is already in an advanced disease stage.

 Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (T.b.r.) is found in eastern and southern Africa. It represents 10% of reported cases. The person gets an acute (over a short period of time but usually severe) infection and first symptoms can be found in a few weeks or months. The central nervous system is invaded because the disease develops very quickly.



Symptoms

Human African Trypanosomiasis occurs in two stages. The first is called the haemolymphatic phase. In the first phase, the person may have fever, headaches, joint pains and itching. If the parasites invade the circulatory and lymphatic systems, there will be severe swelling of lymph nodes. If it is still untreated, the disease will penetrate the defenses of the host and cause more extensive damage such as endocrine, kidney and cardiac dysfunctions.

The second phase is called the neurological phase, which begins when the parasite invades the central nervous system. Symptoms include confusion, reduced coordination, insomnia and bouts of fatigue. Damage caused in this phase can be irreversible.

Treatment

This disease is fatal without treatment, and could lead to coma and death. The first resort treatment for the two phases are different, as are the drugs for the two different sicknesses in each stage. The drug Eflornithine was the most effective in treating both diseases.

Bibliography

1. African trypanosomiasis. (2010, August 28). Retrieved from []

=2. Who African trypanosomiasis. (2006, August). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs259/en/ = =VIDEO:= = DEATH BY TSETSE FLY ANIMAL PLANET =