East African Sleeping Sickness in Zambia and Zimbabwe

Level 4 - Avoid All Travel
Level 3 - Reconsider Nonessential Travel
Level 2 - Practice Enhanced Precautions
Level 1 - Practice Usual Precautions

Key points 

  • There have been several cases of East African sleeping sickness among travelers returning from safari areas in Zambia and Zimbabwe (see map).
  • Sleeping sickness is spread by the bites of infected tsetse flies.
  • To prevent sleeping sickness, travelers to the outbreak area should:
    • Wear medium-weight, neutral-colored clothing, including long-sleeved shirts and pants. Tsetse flies are attracted to bright colors and may bite through lightweight clothing.
    • Inspect vehicles for tsetse flies before entering. Tsetse flies are yellow to dark brown in color, about the size of a housefly, and hold their wings over their back when at rest.
    • Avoid bushes where tsetse flies may be resting.
    • Pay attention to posted signs warning about tsetse flies or fly spraying in the area.
    • Avoid areas where black or blue tsetse fly traps are present.
  • Insect repellents have not proven effective in preventing tsetse fly bites.
  • East African sleeping sickness progresses quickly, and treatment is necessary to prevent severe illness and death within weeks to months.
  • Seek medical care immediately if you develop headache, fever, fatigue, skin rash, muscle aches, or a red sore, called a chancre during or after travel to safari regions of Zambia or Zimbabwe, and you think you may have been bitten by a tsetse fly. Diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving.

Traveler Information

Clinician Information

Regions highlighted within Zambia and Zimbabwe depicting the approximate risk area for the disease.
Regions highlighted within Zambia and Zimbabwe depicting the approximate risk area for the disease. (View larger)
What is Sleeping Sickness?

Sleeping sickness, also called African trypanosomiasis, is caused by a parasite that is transmitted by an infected tsetse fly. The tsetse fly is found only in sub-Saharan Africa.

There are two types of sleeping sickness, East African and West African. East African sleeping sickness progresses more quickly, within one to several weeks of exposure.

Symptoms of sleeping sickness include headache, fever, fatigue, skin rash, muscle aches, and a chancre (red sore) at the site of the bite. Late stages of illness may involve symptoms of the central nervous system, including drowsiness, severe headache, mood disorders, behavior change, and endocrine disorders.

If the disease is not treated, it can be fatal.