Sleeping Sickness

You may have seen a movie where someone contracts “sleeping sickness” after being bitten by a fly and immediately falls asleep. Although the effects may not be immediate like in the movies, there are cases of sleeping sickness contracted from insects.

Trypanosomiasis is the scientific name for a parasitic disease otherwise known as sleeping sickness. It is usually contracted after being bitten by an infected tsetse fly, but it can also be transmitted from a blood transfusion. Infected tsetse flies are found near the equator in African countries.

Once infected, flu-like symptoms may occur before the infection reaches the central nervous system. Once the central nervous system is infected, many processes in the body may be affected, including the sleep/wake cycle. The illness can cause a reversal of sleep/wake periods leading to excessive daytime sleepiness, overwhelming sleepiness, and the inability to stay awake during the day.

If you have been exposed to potentially infected tsetse flies and are experiencing symptoms it is important to seek medical attention as the condition can be life threatening.