Sleeping Sickness (Type 1) (African Trypanosomiasis, gambiense type)
什么是Sleeping Sickness (Type 1) (African Trypanosomiasis, gambiense type)？
Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as African sleeping sickness, is a parasitic disease acquired through the bite of an infected tsetse fly. These specific parasites belong to the Trypanosoma genus.
There are two forms of human African trypanosomiasis, depending on the parasite involved:
- Trypanosoma brucei gambiense: This parasite is found in west and central Africa and is responsible for over 90 percent of reported cases of sleeping sickness. It causes a chronic infection where major symptoms may not emerge for months or even years. When symptoms do emerge, the patient is often already in an advanced disease stage.
- Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense: This parasite is found in eastern and southern Africa and causes an acute infection. Symptoms are usually seen after only a few months or weeks and develop rapidly after the parasite invades the central nervous system.
Another form of trypanosomiasis is known as American trypanosomiasis, or Chagas disease, and occurs in many Central and South American countries. The parasite involved is a different species from those causing the African form of the disease.
如何获得Sleeping Sickness (Type 1) (African Trypanosomiasis, gambiense type)？
African trypanosomiasis is acquired though the bite of the tsetse flies found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Only certain species of tsetse flies can transmit the disease after they have acquired the infection from humans or animals harbouring the human disease parasites. People living in rural areas are often the most exposed to the bite of the tsetse fly and those most at risk are usually farmers, hunters, and fishermen. Tsetse flies are mainly found in vegetation by rivers and lakes, in gallery-forests, and in vast stretches of wooded savannah. Different species of tsetse flies live in different habitats, but not all tsetse flies are infected with the parasites. Thus, many areas may have tsetse flies, but sleeping sickness may not generally occur in these areas.”
易感性和抗性
Everyone is susceptible to African sleeping sickness.
症状是什么？
Bouts of fever, headaches, joint pains, and itching are characteristic symptoms of the initial stage of African sleeping sickness. Painful inflammation can also occur at the site of the tsetse fly bite. In the second stage, the parasite invades the central nervous system causing confusion, sensory disturbances, poor coordination, and disturbances of the sleep cycle which give the disease its common name. Without appropriate treatment, African sleeping sickness is fatal.
预防措施
目前没有疫苗可预防昏睡病。采采蝇没有受到驱虫剂的影响，并且可以穿轻便的衣服。采采蝇蝇大量侵染的非洲地区往往是零星分布的，通常是当地居民所熟知的。避开此类区域是预防昏睡病的最佳方法。采采蝇（Tsetse）的蝇被运动和深色，对比鲜明的色彩所吸引。前往采采蝇蝇地区的旅客应穿戴腕部和脚踝长的服装，该服装由中等重量的中性织物制成，并与背景环境融合。
处理
Travellers who sustain tsetse fly bites and become ill with high fever or other symptoms of African sleeping sickness should seek medical attention immediately. The infection can usually be cured by an appropriate course of anti-trypanosomal therapy.
The type of treatment needed depends on the stage of the disease. The earlier the identification of the disease, the better the prospect of a cure. Drugs used in the first stage are less toxic, easier to administer, and more effective than drugs needed in the second stage.
药物
它常见于哪里？
This parasite is found only in rural west and central Africa.
