What are the signs and symptoms of trypanosomiasis?
A tsetse fly bite is often painful and can develop into a red sore, called a chancre [SHAN-ker]. In cases of East African trypanosomiasis, other symptoms occur within 1 to 4 weeks of infection and include fever, severe headache, irritability, extreme tiredness, swollen lymph glands, and aching muscles and joints. Weight loss and a body rash are also common. Infection of the central nervous system causes confusion, personality changes, slurred speech, seizures, and difficulty in walking and talking. If left untreated, the illness becomes worse, and death occurs within several weeks to months. Persons with West African trypanosomiasis sometimes develop a chancre 1 to 2 weeks after the tsetse fly bite. Other symptoms occur several weeks to months later and include fever, rash, swelling around the eyes and hands, severe headaches, extreme tiredness, and aching muscles and joints. Some people develop swollen lymph glands on the back of the neck. Weight loss occurs as the illness worsens. In
