PAN4ND  
Neglected Diseases - Human African Trypanosomiasis
Human African Trypansomiasis (HAT; sleeping sickness)
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Known as sleeping sickness, HAT is caused by two sub-species of Trypanosoma
parasites, which are transmitted to humans by tsetse flies. Sleeping sickness occurs
only in sub-Saharan Africa and takes two forms, depending on the parasite sub-
species, either Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (T.b. gambiense) or T.b. rhodesiense.

Sleeping sickness has two stages. The early stage entails bouts of fever, headaches,
pains in the joints and itching. The second, known as the neurological phase, begins
when the parasite crosses the blood-brain barrier and infests the central nervous
system. Without treatment, the disease is fatal.

With regard to treatment, most drugs are old, difficult to administer in poor conditions
and by no means always successful. For HAT, which infects 50,000 to 150,000 and
puts 50 million at risk in sub-Saharan Africa, a safe, effective, and practical stage 2
HAT drug (preferably stage 1+2) is needed, as well as a simple stage 1 treatment.

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