sleeping sickness

Infectious disease of tropical Africa, a form of trypanosomiasis. Early symptoms include fever, headache, and chills, followed by anaemia and joint pains. Later, the disease attacks the central nervous system, causing drowsiness, lethargy, and, if left untreated, death. Sleeping sickness is caused by either of two trypanosomes, Trypanosoma gambiense or T. rhodesiense. Control is by eradication of the tsetse fly, which transmits the disease to humans. Out of the 1 million people in Africa who become infected with the sleeping sickness, 100,000 people die each year from the disease, it was reported in 2000.

Sleeping sickness in cattle is called nagana.