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Killer Disease
Transmitted by Animals to Humans
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Trypanosomiasis
(sleeping sickness)
It is a vector-borne parasitic disease and commonly
known as sleeping sickness. It is first found in Africa. The protozoa
parasite belongs to typanosomiasis genus. Tsetse fly transmits this
infection which in turn acquire this infection from infected humans or
animals.
Trypanosomiasis is an epidemic
The years 1896,1906 qnd 1970 have been effected by
this epidemic and countries that were effected are Uganda, and Congo
Basin in Africa. In 1972 Mobile health care teams in 1960 organized
screening millions of people them from risk. In 1960 the disease was
almost disappeared but reappeared in last 30 years. Recent WHO efforts and those of national
control program and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have stopped
and begun to reverse the upward trend of new cases.
Symptoms
Trypanosomes multiply in subcutaneous
tissues, blood and lymph. The parasites then cross the blood-brain
barrier to infect the central nervous system.
The Trypanosome can cross from mother to child
Accidental
infections have occurred in laboratories due to pricks from contaminated
needles.
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Treatment
All medicines used to cure this disease are toxic.
The treatment becomes complicated as the virus advances.
In the preliminary stages the
administer the less toxic drug is easy.
It becomes complicated as the stages
advances because the drug has tocross
the blood-brain barrier to reach the parasite. Such drugs are quite
toxic and complicated to administer.
Four drugs are registered for the
treatment of sleeping sickness and provided free of charge to endemic
countries through a WHO private partnership with sanofi-aventis (pentamidine,
melarsoprol and eflornithine) and Bayer AG (suramin). |
