Key points
- 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
- Health Information for Travelers to Zambia
- Health Information for Travelers to Zimbabwe
- CDC Sleeping Sickness (African Trypanosomiasis) Website
Clinician Information
- African Trypanosomiasis in the CDC Yellow Book (Health Information for International Travel)
- Clinical Care of Human African Trypanosomiasis | Sleeping Sickness (African Trypanosomiasis) | CDC