[LUM#15] Loan, age 10: When you have sleeping sickness, do you sleep all the time?
That's an excellent question that can't be answered with a simple "yes" or "no" because it depends on the stage of the disease, which requires some explanation.
First, it’s important to know that sleeping sickness—also known as African human trypanosomiasis—is caused by a parasite called the trypanosome. It is a type of microscopic worm transmitted by a well-known insect: the tsetse fly, or glossina. When the fly bites a human, the parasite takes the opportunity to enter the person’s body. It then lives in the blood, where it can remain for several years, causing fever or headaches but not sleep disturbances.
Until, without anyone really knowing when or why (a question researchers are still trying to answer), the trypanosomes settle in our brains and disrupt our sleep. As a result, the patient no longer sleeps at night and sleeps during the day. Over time, the trypanosomes cause many other problems, and people with the disease can die if they are not treated.
Fortunately, there are treatments available! But to treat people, the disease must be diagnosed as early as possible—which can sometimes be difficult because the initial symptoms are the same as those of many other diseases, and because trypanosomiasis often occurs in parts of Africa where there are few doctors.
Another control method involves reducing the number of tsetse flies to limit bites and the risk of transmitting the parasite to humans. Researchers have developed traps made of black and blue fabric because these colors attract the flies. The traps are coated with insecticides and set up around villages to protect the residents.
Researchers applied these methods in Côte d’Ivoire, an African country that has been particularly hard hit by African human trypanosomiasis. The initiative was a great success, as it led to the near elimination of the disease: between 2015 and 2019, only 9 cases were reported in the country.
It’s a victory, but researchers must not rest on their laurels—otherwise, sleeping sickness could make a comeback. Fortunately, scientists are setting up a monitoring system to eradicate this scourge once and for all, so that people can finally sleep in peace!
Vincent Jamonneau, parasitologist at the Host-Vector-Parasite Interactions in Trypanosomatidae Infections Laboratory – Intertryp – (IRD, CIRAD)
Also listen to the episode of *A l’UM la science* titled “Toward the End of Sleeping Sickness? ” with Vincent Jamonneau
An article in partnership with The Conversation.
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