Infectious Diseases
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|PLT 300 Term Paper |
|Infectious Diseases |
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African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness as many call it is a parasitic disease that can be contracted by either human or animals. The disease is transmitted by the tsetse fly which can be found all over Africa but the ones contaminated with the disease are found in region of sub-Saharan Africa. The disease has been said to have been in Africa since way back in the 14th century and one of the first epidemics that was recorded happened in 1901 in which a "devastating epidemic had erupted in Uganda, killing more than 250,000 people, about two-thirds of the population in the affected lake-shore areas" (CDC). According to the World Health Organization the disease covers 36 countries and 60 million people. The majority of the affected population live in remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa with little access to health care clinics which is why in these rural area the disease often goes untreated and misdiagnosed.
The distribution of African trypanosomiasis is related to where the Tsetse fly lives which happens to be many parts of Africa. Not all species of Tsetse flies transmit the disease and there is no explanation of why certain regions with populations of Tsetse flies do not have a trace of the sleeping sickness disease.
|PLT 300 Term Paper |
|Infectious Diseases |
| |
| |
African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness as many call it is a parasitic disease that can be contracted by either human or animals. The disease is transmitted by the tsetse fly which can be found all over Africa but the ones contaminated with the disease are found in region of sub-Saharan Africa. The disease has been said to have been in Africa since way back in the 14th century and one of the first epidemics that was recorded happened in 1901 in which a "devastating epidemic had erupted in Uganda, killing more than 250,000 people, about two-thirds of the population in the affected lake-shore areas" (CDC). According to the World Health Organization the disease covers 36 countries and 60 million people. The majority of the affected population live in remote areas of sub-Saharan Africa with little access to health care clinics which is why in these rural area the disease often goes untreated and misdiagnosed.
The distribution of African trypanosomiasis is related to where the Tsetse fly lives which happens to be many parts of Africa. Not all species of Tsetse flies transmit the disease and there is no explanation of why certain regions with populations of Tsetse flies do not have a trace of the sleeping sickness disease.
Cited: "African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)." WHO. World Health Organization, 10 2010. Web. 28 May 2011. . Carter, Richard. "Evolutionary and Historical Aspects of the Burden of Malaria -- Carter and Mendis 15 (4): 564." Clinical Microbiology Reviews. American Society For Microbiology, Oct. 2002. Web. 30 May 2011. . "CDC: West Nile Virus - What You Need To Know." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 12 Sept. 2006. Web. 29 May 2011. . "Fact Sheet | CDC Yellow Fever." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC, 11 June 2007. Web. 30 May 2011. . Fèvre EM, Coleman PG, Welburn SC, and Maudlin I. Reanalyzing the 1900–1920 sleeping sickness epidemic in Uganda. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 2004 Apr. 28 May 2011. . Higgs, Stephen. "Yellow Fever: A Disease That Has Yet to Be Conquered." Annualreviews.org. Jan. 2007. Web. 29 May 2001. . Rich, Stephen M. "The Origin of Malignant Malaria." PNAS, 29 June 2009. Web. 30 May 2011. . "West Nile Virus - PubMed Health." PubMed Health. Ed. David C. Dugdale. National Center of Biotechnology Information, 15 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 May 2011. . "WHO | Malaria." WHO. World Health Organization, Apr. 2010. Web. 31 May 2011. . "WHO | Yellow Fever." WHO.int. World Health Organization, Jan. 2011. Web. 29 May 2011. .