Symptoms of the African Trypanosomiasis disease.
The first stage of Trypanosomiasis involves the multiplication of the trypanosomes in subcutaneous tissues, blood and lymph. This stage can also be known as the haemolymphatic phase, which entails bouts of fever, headaches, joint pains and itching.
The second stage involves the parasites crossing the blood-brain barrier to infect the central nervous system. This is known as the neurological or meningoencephalic phase. This is usually when the more obvious signs and symptoms of the disease are shown, such as changes of behaviour, confusion, sensory disturbances and poor coordination.
An important feature of the second stage of the disease is the disturbance of the sleep cycle, which gives the disease its name. Healthy carriers have been reported but without treatment, sleeping sickness is considered fatal.
Some general symptoms may include anxiety, drowsiness during the day, fever, headache, insomnia at night, mood changes, uncontrollable sleepiness, sweating, swollen lymph nodes all over the body and swollen, red painful nodule at site of fly bite.
How the disease is spreadAfrican Trypanosomiasis is transmitted through a bite from an infected tsetse fly, but there are other ways in which people are infected with sleeping sickness, such as mother to child infection which occurs when the trypanosome crosses the placenta and infects the fetus. Another possible way is mechanical transmission through other blood sucking insects; however it is difficult to assess the epidemiological impact of transmission. Accidental infections have also occurred in laboratories due to pricks from contaminated needles.
Trypanosomiasis is a endemic disease and is only found in Africa. |
The Tsetse fly |
Location of the disease
African Trypanosomiasis is confined mainly to tropical Africa between 15 degrees North and 20 degrees South latitude. The disease is found with a high risk of contracting in Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia. The Tsetse flies inhabit rural areas only, living in woodland thickets of savanna and dense vegetation along streams. Generally visitors to urban areas do not have a high risk of getting the disease.
Rarity
In terms of the world, the African Trypanosomiasis is a rare disease in terms of Africa however it is quite common. The disease is more common in Summer then Winter because the Tsetse flies like the humid and hot/wet weather.
There have been some sustained control efforts, which have lowered the number of new cases. In 2009, the number of cases reported dropped below 10 000 (9878) for first time in 50 years and in 2012 there were 7216 cases recorded. Since then, the number has remained around the same time. (HAT means Human African Trypanosomiasis)
There have been some sustained control efforts, which have lowered the number of new cases. In 2009, the number of cases reported dropped below 10 000 (9878) for first time in 50 years and in 2012 there were 7216 cases recorded. Since then, the number has remained around the same time. (HAT means Human African Trypanosomiasis)