Sleeping sickness is an African illness and is characterized by uncontrollable sleep. It is evoked by a parasite trypanosome and is considered endemic and infectious. Blood and tissue fluids are the major places of trypanosome living; but T. cruzi live inside cells. Tsetse fly is a cause of an African sleeping sickness as it transmits T. rhodesiense or T. gambiense. The flies live in Africa between 15 N and 20 S latitude and these regions are known by the rate of trypanosome infected population reaching 30 %.

African trypanosomiasis is another name for the condition of sleeping sickness. After a bite the infection spreads into the blood of a person and causes the appearance of minor symptoms. A parasite places itself in a human vertebrate host and settles in the blood, spleen, lymph nodes, and cerebrospinal fluid. It has no tendency to invade the cells but it aims to occupy the connective tissue in various organs. With the further spread of the infection the lymph nodes become swollen and congested and the whole condition is accompanied by fever.

Parasites inside the organism the parasites undergo immunological changes, actually, they mask themselves and thereby avoid being detected and destroyed as the immune system is unable to recognize them. Consequently, it leads to further pains and swelling, increased headaches, feeling of weakness and cramps.

When central nervous system gets involved and the brain is affected the whole thing becomes even worse and symptoms of sleeping sickness become more vivid. This means dullness, apathy, coordination problems, tremors, convulsions and further paralysis.

The further the illness develops the more sleepiness it evokes. Not only a person sleeps long hours and longs for sleep constantly but he or she can fall asleep while standing or eating. Further on coma follows, and death.

It is very important to report to the doctor any symptoms if there are suspicions. The earlier the treatment is started the better are the chances for survival. In case the symptoms are neglected and the treatment has not been started in time it is fraught with very severe complications, among which are cardiac failure, brain diseases and death.

A person will have to undergo several lab tests (i.e. a complete physical examination, also blood swear, CBC, albumin and globulin levels) in order to be diagnosed and further on treated rightly. African sleeping sickness is very hard to attend and the treatment is very stringent and severe. The illness has a tendency to worsen as the infection transforms and spreads further on in the body. That is why it is so important to start as early as possible.

There are medications used for treatment, but, unfortunately, there is no cure for the illness, no vaccine has been discovered yet. Periodical transformation of parasites makes it hard for the immune system to identify them and this also leads to difficulties creating necessary vaccine. However, if attended in time, the illness can be controlled with the help of arsenical drugs (i.e. suramin, pentamidine, and berenil). They proved to be effective, if given at the first stages of illness development, but their administration is very dangerous – they are toxic – and fraught with sever complications like heart, liver and nervous system damage. Moreover, the trypanosomes showed a tendency to become tolerant to these medicines.

One should remember, therefore, than it is not necessarily that every African fly is infectious. Still the risk is very high and especially if a tsetse fly has bitten you. Not only this bite is very painful but it is also becomes red and swollen on the spot. There is a little chance to find this disease somewhere outside Africa as it originally found only there, but the cases of being infected while traveling or after having a contact with a person who returned from there are possible.

Both the governments and health organizations have taken a lot of measures in order to educate and inform the population and to control and eradicate the illness but the progress is not very big; poverty and ignorance of people slow down the process. Nevertheless, it is essential for those who live in Africa to learn and know about the illness as much as possible. Insects and fly bites should be taken seriously and precaution measures not neglected. Knowing about sleeping sickness symptoms are also highly important in order to recognize it early and treat accordingly.