What is Sleeping Sickness?

Sleeping sickness, also known as human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is a disease caused by a parasite.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sleeping sickness is a serious disease but diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving.

It is caused by protozoan parasites transmitted by infected tsetse flies.

Most exposed people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry or hunting.

Some people who have sleeping sickness develop a red sore, called a chancre, within two days to two weeks of an infected tsetse fly bite.