Herdsmen stay awake, as sleeping sickness gnaws at livestock

By Maore Ithula

Human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness is a widespread tropical disease that can be fatal if not treated. It is spread by the bite of an infected tsetse fly (Glossina Genus).

Tsetse fly bite erupts in a red sore and within a few weeks the infected experiences fever, swollen lymph glands, aching muscles and joints, headaches and irritability.

In its advanced stages, the disease attacks the central nervous system, causing changes in personality, alteration of the biological the circadian rhythm), confusion, slurred speech, seizures, and difficulty walking and talking.

A fixed trap for the insects. [PHOTOS: COURTESY]

Dr Rajinder Saini, of the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) however, concedes that a major drawback that is expected of all technologies is parasites developing resistance to medication, the way malaria-causing mosquito resisted repellent jellies.

Currently the only remedy for nagana and sleeping sickness is melarsamine, discovered in 1949 but now facing widespread resistance and highly infiltrated by counterfeited versions.