In posting a less than serious answer to another poster's question about the proper spelling of "tsessebe," I was reminded of a question I've been meaning to ask on this forum for quite a while.

What is the reason that tsetse flies are sometimes carriers of sleeping sickness, which can infect and kill domestic cattle, horses and humans, and sometimes not? I don't understand how this disease comes and goes, or is sometimes transmitted and sometimes not.

I remember as a kid in school watching movies in science class of natives who were comatose and shivering their way to a nasty death from sleeping sickness.

Then, the other day, I was reading the late Frank Hibben's book, Under the African Sun, in which he remarked on a sleeping sickness epidemic that broke out in the Okavango delta region of what is now Botswana, in 1962. Many of the native people and two PHs and four of their clients died.

One doesn't hear about that happening anymore, at least among humans. That's obviously a good thing, but it struck me that I had no idea why these epidemics, or even individual cases, seem to be so rare these days.

Any entomologist/epidemiologists out there?

mrlexma,

I'm sure someone will give you the textbook answer but from my experience it seems that your chances of getting sleeping sickness are very slim. I met a PH in Zambia that nearly died from it though. He described himself as very unlucky and thought the chances of getting it were 1 in a million. Seems like if it was a real concern that I would of had it. Those tetses really love me and I get lovely quarter size welts all over from them.

Regards,

Mark

Even though tsetse flies are common in many parts of Africa, it seems, as Mark pointed out, that sleeping sickness isn't. I got bit by them in '00 and no symptoms have shown up so far . . . but then I've always fancied an afternoon nap! The flies themselves are vicious little buggers and tough! If one lands on you and starts chewing, and you will know it because it hurts, just slapping them isn't enough. Knock him off and he'll shake his head, go "Oh, yeah?!" and come back and bite you again. The only thing I've proven to work is catch the fly and literally pull its head off. My PH swore that wasn't always enough, you need to throw the head and the body off opposite sides of the hunting car to be sure it won't come back. Bad little bug!

Will DEET repel tsetse flies? On my one and only safari, there were none, so I didn't have to worry about them.

Yes, DEET works, but you have to keep it fresh. Put Permethrin on your clothes, too.

I was taught to smack and smear the rubbery little bastards.

No amount of smacking force alone will suffice.

We found that as long as Ray was in the truck with us, no self respecting tsetse fly would bite anyone else but him!

WE had all sorts of insect repelents last year, and the one I found that worked was some sun screen my wife found in the supermarket.

It normally keeps them away for about two hours, before you have to apply it again.

I had an awful lot of trouble with them biting through my sockes above the ankle.

So I sprayed insect killer on my socks and trouser bottoms. That kept the bloody things away.

After a couple of days, Walter developed a new wildcat just for tsetse flies.

It is a rubber band, cut open. You roll it over your index finger, pull, aim and shoot.

Worked great, especially when one lands on your friends ears.

Unfortunatly Saeed is correct, thats why he takes me to Tanznia to keep the flys off Walter as we all worry about him, if he gets cranky no one has any fun....

Believe it or not the best Tetsi fly repelent I have found is Skintastic in the pump bottle...I have to keep Pierre stocked with it...

Last year the Tetsi licked the 100 percent deet off me and bit away...I had some 200 plus bites and was on my usual steady diet of Bynadril tabs..My neice brought some skintastic and whoa!, it worked....They also formed nests on my Permalyn drenched clothing then landed on me because the clothing bothered them..

Over the years I have apparantly built up an immunity to the bites as they only itch no matter how many I get, some folks get sick...A hair brush is a necesstity in Tanzania for Tetsi damage control.

No one has seen a case of sleeping sickness in many years that I know of, I have probably absorbed all of it into my immune system according to Pierre.

A bit of cutting and pasting ...




Disease Information
African Trypanosomiasis or Sleeping Sickness

June 2001

Disease profile
African trypanosomiasis, commonly called sleeping sickness, is a serious parasitic disease that leads to acute or chronic infection of the central nervous system. Parasites of the genus Trypanosoma cause the disease in humans as well as in cattle. If left untreated, the disease is fatal in humans.

Transmission
African trypanosomiasis is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected tsetse fly, a grey-brown insect the size of a honey bee. Following entry into a human host, the parasitic protozoa - called trypanosomes - multiply in the blood stream and lymph glands, a process that can continue for years in cases of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. An individual's risk of infection increases as the number of bites received increases. As well, children can become infected by their mothers while still in the womb, causing abortion or perinatal death.

Geographic distribution
The occurrence of African trypanosomiasis is limited to sub-Saharan Africa in areas where the tsetse fly is constantly present (i.e., endemic). However the presence of tsetse flies does not necessarily mean that the disease is present. Two forms of Trypanosoma cause illness in humans in southern Africa:

Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (or West African trypanosomiasis) is found in the central and western regions of Africa in forests and areas of heavy vegetation by rivers and waterholes;
Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (or East African trypanosomiasis) is found in the southern and eastern regions of the continent in woodland and savannah areas.
Almost 45,000 cases of African sleeping sickness were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999, but the WHO believes the real number of cases is between 300,000 and 500,000 cases. In specific villages of many provinces of Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Sudan, the prevalence of the disease is 20% to 50%. Sleeping sickness has become the second greatest cause of death, ahead of HIV/AIDS, in those areas.

Another form of trypanosomiasis in humans, known as Chagas disease, occurs in the Americas (Atkinsons trypanosomiasis). Repeated exposure results in incredible sleepiness.

Symptoms
The bite of tsetse fly can be painful and may develop into a raised red sore, called a chancre. In West African trypanosomiasis (Trypanosoma brucei gambiense), symptoms can take months or years to appear. They include fever, rash, swelling around the eyes and hands, severe headaches, extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and aching muscles and joints. If the disease is not treated at this stage, it attacks the central nervous system, producing progressive confusion, slurred speech, personality changes, seizures and difficulty in walking and talking. Symptoms progress and lead to death if left untreated. In East African trypanosomiasis (Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense), symptoms occur 1 to 4 weeks after exposure and are the same as those listed above for the West African variety of trypanosomiasis.

Treatment
Medications are available for the treatment of African trypanosomiasis. Treatment should begin as soon as possible following exposure to arrest the progression of the disease. However, diagnosis of African trypanosomiasis can be challenging, particularly for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which has a long asymptomatic period, making early treatment difficult. The disease is diagnosed through blood and spinal fluid tests. African trypanosomiasis is always fatal without treatment.



Prevention and personal precautions
There is no vaccine for the prevention of African trypanosomiasis. Therefore, Health Canada recommends that travellers to areas where the tsetse fly and African trypanosomiasis are endemic should take insect precautions.

Recommendations
Tourists, hunters, game wardens, fishermen and anyone who works in or visits game parks in East and Central Africa are at the greatest risk for illness by East African trypanosomiasis and should take personal insect precautions. The risk of acquiring West African trypanosomiasis increases for travellers if they spend long periods of time in rural areas of West or Central Africa. Travellers to urban areas are not at risk as the tsetse fly is found only in rural locales. The tsetse fly comes out in the early morning and the late afternoon. Insect repellant does not prevent tsetse fly bites.

Personal measures to avoid tsetse flies
Measures to reduce exposure to tsetse flies include:

Protective clothing:

Wear thick clothing that reduces the amount of exposed skin, such as heavy long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks and shoes.
Avoid wearing bright or dark-coloured clothing as these colours attract tsetse flies.
Screens and bed nets:

Sleep inside screened areas, under a net or in an air-conditioned room.
Use bed nets that are rectangular in size, impregnated with permethrin* every 6 months and tucked tightly under the mattress before dusk (note: treated bed nets are available in Canada).
Other measures:

Avoid riding in the back of open vehicles as tsetse flies are attracted to dust churned up by moving vehicles or animal herds.
Check the inside of all vehicles for tsetse flies before getting in.
Stay away from bushy areas especially during the heat of the day. Tsetse flies rest in bushes during high heat periods and can bite if disturbed. (there you are stay out of the bush, in the heat of the day, plus mornings and evenings!)
Insect repellent has not been proven to prevent tsetse fly bites.

Some things to think about...
If a traveller develops a fever, headaches and pains in the joints within 1 to 4 weeks after returning from an area where African trypanosomiasis occurs, he/she should seek medical advice immediately and advise the physician of his/her recent travel itinerary

"African trypanosomiasis is always fatal without treatment."

"There is no vaccine for the prevention of African trypanosomiasis."

"Insect repellant does not prevent tsetse fly bites."

"Avoid riding in the back of open vehicles as tsetse flies are attracted to dust churned up by moving vehicles or animal herds."

Don't you love these quotes from the Health Canada site posted by Nitrox? Well, I asked for it.

Permethrin and 100% DEET have seemed to work for me, as long as I lather and spray the stuff on frequently. At least, I can say that on the days when I used these repellents, I was only bothered a little bit, but on the days when I got lazy and didn't use them, the damned flies nearly ate me alive.

Clearly, the tsetse fly may or may not transmit the sickness, depending on whether it has recently sucked any infected blood from some other creature. Like the malaria mosquito.

I wonder what the true odds are of getting a bad bite?

mrlexma,

Let me know if you run across a hot bed of sleeping sickness. There are a few guys to which I would like to recommend the area.

They look like our march flies. You can smack those little buggers to and they bounce back and fly away. They attack the ankles as well and ALWAYS bite my work dog on the end of his nose. Its not nice to have a 47kg attack dog snapping away crotch level

.

You're right Alf. The Plasmodium Falciparum species is the most deadly type of malaria and is endemic in most of the areas in which we hunt. Can cause Blackwater fever,kidney failure,convulsions, cerebral hemorrhage, and of course death.Trypanasomiasis is not as common but requires the same level of attention to treatment if contracted. Be especially vigilant if a bite festers badly even though it hasn't been scratched, you may have been nailed. It's an entirely survivable illness especially with early treatment. Most deaths are due to the fact that in third world countries home remedies are usually tried first, greatly delaying proper treatment. Needless to say if you have been in an endemic area and develope a fever or unexplainable weakness or malaise see an infectious disease specialist or go to a tropical medicine clinic (most major medical centers have one) ASAP!
On a lighter note, the absolute BEST tsetse fly repellent I've ever seen is Avon's BUG GUARD +. Used to be known as SKIN SO SOFT. About ten years ago we here in the Great Lakes area noticed that the stuff was the only thing that would repel blackflies (now when these things bite you, you think a bee stung you- leave a welt just like a tsetse bite). This stuff works great, comes in three fragrances (one smells terrible), and moisturizes and softens your skin (for you toughguys). Our PH's litteraly beg us to leave the unused portions when we hunt in Zim or Mozambique. Hope this helps. BTW this is my first post.

welcome aboard Geronomo!

Geronomo,



Is there any particular scent of the avon stuff that works better or do they all work?



I am thinking that a nice floral scent an ankle braclet and smooth skin may well just be the ticket to some reduced trophy fees!



you know how these PH's appreciate a little soft touch now and then.

O.K., one more time for those of you who may have missed this, or didn't take the advise before.

We were in Tanzania in 2000 in the same camp that Ray was, only one week later. The flies were out for blood, the mozzys were on a 'mission' to out do the flies, and the ticks were having a party on any host that they could get on.

In preparation for this onslought we did the following:

1) Treated ALL of our clothes,(socks, pants, shirts, jackets, & hats) with a dilution of Permitherin that was good for 6 weeks of daily washings the week before we left. Not the under pants.

2) Bought Avon 'Bug Guard' with sunscreen and moisturizer. We applied this liberly all over our bodies in the morning. Have someone put it on your back where you can't reach. Pay especial attention to your face and ears. Put plenty here. DO NOT PUT THIS ABOVE YOUR EYES!! The cream dries to a film in about 15-20 minutes. I am very hairy and this was not a problem. It dried nicely on my sasquach frame. No sticky, oily resedue.

3) We sprayed 100% DEET on our boots, socks, and lower pants legs. Gaters when I wore shorts. This was done for extra tick protection.

4) Keep the Bug Guard handy as you will need to touch-up from sweat or having it rubbed off.

We did not have bites, PERIOD!! No problem in shorts, sleeves rolled up or bites in the vents on the back of my Lewis Creek shirts. The PH's were constanly flogging themselves and the car staff kept limbs handy and kept beating the flies off of each other. I wear thin leather gloves that have vent holes on top of the fingers. One of the little SOB's bit me at one of the holes. After that, I put Bug Guard on the backs of my hands and fingers. End of being ambushed. When the flies would land on us, they soon flew off. The PH's were picking ticks off of themselves every night. We had none. The only mozzy bite that I had was when I was walking to the dinning tent after my shower.

This system worked better than we could have imagined. Even with the sunscreen, we got a great tan. They have several scents that you can choose from. None smell like a "Zanzabar love merchant" like the 'skin so soft'. My wife has a terrible reaction to insect bites. She is almost as sweet as Ray when it comes to bugs loving them. She didn't have the first problem.

Do this regimine and I assure you that you will not be bothered by the insects.

Cheers,

Sam

eclemmons@hotmail.com

BIG SAM, now thats what I'm talking about! Also don't forget to spray Permethrin around the truck interior, especially under the dashboard,behind the seats, and along creases and corners. You see, the little bastards are attracted to movement and dark colors(safari vehicles have both), they like to fly in and hide somewhere. Then they come out later when you have a lowerd sense of awareness and calmly drill a hole in you with an 1/8" masonary bit!! Hope this helps.
Geronimo

.

Hey,
Has anyone tried the "Buzz Off" clothing from Orvis in Africa? It gets good reports from people in the States. Just curious.

Take Care, Rick

Alf,
I'm well aware of what you speak.Most of us hunters want the "fly" to stay around, we just don't enjoy being one it's intermediate hosts/ vectors. BTW we're in the same line of work, except I'm of the vascular persuasion
Cheers
Geronimo

If the symptoms persist what can be done? I am in medicine and have spoken to 4 specialist who do not have a clue as to what to do with the joint ache and the muscle weakness and the headache. I was in the Mehenge area last July and my partner and I were bitten the last day of our hunt. To say we each had suffered over 200 hits on the three hour trip is an understatement. Steve was hospitalised for a week upon return to the US, I however developed my symptoms much later and still have troubles. Is there anyone that can be recommended by anyone on the forum that I can talk to.

There's now 2 cures for sleeping sickness. The newest is expensive but reasonably pain free. It's a series of injections and I believe the drug was derived from plastic surgery research......but that's all I know.

The cure that is used on Africans is much cheaper and is also a series of injections but they are incredibly painful. It's sometimes been described as feeling like being injected with hot acid. I've seen shrieking children have to be held down for the the injections and strong, grown men weep.......For some reason I seem to remember that one of the components of the injections contain a poison.....but with all you medical folks on the forum, I'm sure someone will come up with the proper names of the drugs.

ib404,

Have you contacted the C.D.C. in Atlanta?

Ask for the specialist for either that disease or concerning diseases in that part of the country.

It may take a few tries, or some waiting, but you should be able to get someone with the exact knowledge that you seek.

Sorry to hear of the misfortunes of you and your partner.

All the best to you both.

Sam

Here's a big picture of the little bugger....







While sitting in the leopard blind last year, my PH showed me how to "flick" the big flies which were otherwise to quick for me to swat (not to mention the noise I was making).

I've joked about it, but all kidding aside, you have to take this disease seriously.

This is how the disease progresses, and it will kill you if left untreated (I cut and pasted this from a website--I have found much information about this on the web as a result of this thread):

"In the beginning, you may think you have the flu. You can run a high fever, have headaches, joint aches, even itching.

As the parasite spreads throughout your bloodstream, it takes its toll on your organs. You can develop anemia or endocrine disorders. You can develop heart and kidney problems. And pregnant women can lose their fetuses.

By the time the parasite reaches the central nervous system, you are vulnerable to unpredictable mood changes, and you are so weak that it wears you out to eat or even open your eyes.

You are a danger to yourself and others because you can suffer from sudden bouts of aggressiveness. In some African villages, the people tie sleeping sickness victims to huts or poles to keep them from harming others.

Eventually wasted and destroyed, sleeping-sickness victims slip into a deep coma and die."

It is rare, but Americans have come home with these parasites in their blood. But sleeping sickness can definitely be cured.

If you have the slightest concern, and it sounds like you do, you should contact the CDC right away.

I forgot to mention one of the things that Ray had recommended that we do. Take garlic.

The British did a study of their jungle troops and found that garlic was effective in keeping ticks off and reduced the amount of bites by mozzy's.

We took G.N.C. brand 880 mg. 'orderless garlic' and started two weeks before we went.

1 two times a day for the first week, then 2 two times a day until our last day in camp.

I don't know for certain exactly what part this played in our not having bites, but it was simple to do and undoubtably helped.

As a side note: Half of us took Malerone, the other half Larium. The Malerone users didn't have any problems from the meds. Mike and Tye thought that they has a little up set stomach when they first took it. The other guys that took the Larium, everyone of them, when they took it while in camp, the felt like they had the flu and basically lost out on that day. Many folks claim not to have any problems. Not so with our 3 who used it. I will use the Malerone again.

I hope that this 'anti-bug' information will be helpful to you. It won't work unless you do it.

All the best,

Sam