• Acute Mountain Sickness
• Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever
• Dengue fever
• Diarrhoea
• Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever
• Influenza
• Lassa Fever
• Legionnaires Disease
• Leishmaniasis
• Leprosy
• Onchocerciasis (River Blindness)
• Plague
• Schistosomiasis
• Tick bourne encephalitis
• Tick Typhus
• Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping sickness)

Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping sickness)

Is a tropical disease caused by a parasite transmitted by tsetse flies which inhabit rural areas by lakes, rivers, and forests.

Risk areas:

Occurs mainly in tropical and sub-Saharan Africa.

Transmission:

The parasite is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tsetse fly. The fly bite can often be painful, so you tend to know if you have been bitten.

Symptoms:

Although rare in travellers, there are generally two stages to the illness. In stage one the bite becomes red and sore and within a few weeks you may experience the following symptoms; fever, swollen lymph glands, aching muscles, aches and irritability. The second stage can include confusion, poor coordination and disturbance of sleep. This occurs when the parasite enters the nervous system.

Vaccination:

This disease is rare in travellers but it is always wise to protect yourself. Best avoidance is to cover up and use insect repellent to best avoid bites from tsetse flies.