Sleeping sickness cases prompt CDC travel notice
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a travel notice due to several cases of East African sleeping sickness among travelers returning from safari areas in Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Sleeping sickness, also called African trypanosomiasis, is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by an infected tsetse fly. The tsetse fly is found only in sub-Saharan Africa.
There are two types of sleeping sickness, East African and West African. East African sleeping sickness progresses more quickly, within one to several weeks of exposure.
Treatment is necessary to prevent severe illness and death within weeks to months.
CDC offers the following recommendations for travelers:
Wear medium-weight, neutral-colored clothing, including long-sleeved shirts and pants. Tsetse flies are attracted to bright colors and may bite through lightweight clothing.
Inspect vehicles for tsetse flies before entering. Tsetse flies are yellow to dark brown in color, about the size of a housefly, and hold their wings over their back when at rest.
Avoid bushes where tsetse flies may be resting.
Pay attention to posted signs warning about tsetse flies or fly spraying in the area.
Avoid areas where black or blue tsetse fly traps are present.
Seek medical care immediately if you develop headache, fever, fatigue, skin rash, muscle aches, or a red sore, called a chancre during or after travel to safari regions of Zambia or Zimbabwe, and you think you may have been bitten by a tsetse fly. Diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving.
Symptoms of sleeping sickness include headache, fever, fatigue, skin rash, muscle aches, and a chancre (red sore) at the site of the bite. Late stages of illness may involve symptoms of the central nervous system, including drowsiness, severe headache, mood disorders, behavior change, and endocrine disorders.