The tsetse fly is a rather dangerous insect found on the African continent, so if you plan to travel you should have the knowledge about the tsetse fly, everything you need to know to be prepared at any time.
As we already told you, it is an insect of a purple, beige color among many more than the 23 species of this fly that is known and is the cause of sleeping sickness, which is only spread if a trip is made to the parts of Africa where they can be found.
It is the culprit of the sleeping sickness or in its more technical form African trypanosomiasis which is produced by the introduction of parasites into the body of the person, after the bite of this fly, so it is not a game.
It is therefore one of the most dangerous parasitic diseases that is capable of leading a person to death, which is why it is very lethal when it occurs in the southern part of the Sahara desert, and therefore the only way to contract the disease or infection.
What do you need:
- Insects.
- Proximities to any type of water.
- Vegetation.
- Sting.
- Infected animal or human.
- Blood with parasites.
- Quick symptoms.
Instructions
The Tse Tse fly is an insect that manifests itself near places with fresh water as well as forests and savannahs where they usually reproduce, and they are spread by taking blood, the main food of this insect from an infected animal that later passes on to humans.
It often happens that the disease can also be transmitted from an infected human to another if the fly bites the sick and once the healthy, placing the parasites of the infection and producing the notorious symptoms of this dangerous disease.
This is the tse fly
- The tsetse fly is an insect capable of depositing parasites that it takes from the blood of infected animals and producing a quite dangerous disease in humans called sleeping sickness in its common or colloquial name.
- The symptoms appear in a person who has been bitten by this insect seven days after receiving the infection through this bite, with which the first sign appears in the person from that moment.
The symptoms of sleeping sickness or infection can be:
- Headaches of strong intensity.
- Painful muscle spasms.
- Itching all over the body.
- Weakness or decay
- Inflammation of parts of the body.
- Very high fever for several days.
- Separate periods without fever.
- Anxiety and stress.
- Mood swings, sadness or euphoria.
- Excessive sweating
As the state of the disease is in an advanced state, other symptoms occur in the person, having to feel problems with various organs of the body, among which the cardiovascular system can be mentioned, in addition to:
- Tachycardia or racing heart.
- Anemia and fainting.
- Loss of appetite
- Uncontrollable weight loss.
- Fluid retention.
- Pulmonary edema.
When the parasite occurs in the brain, which is the main organ that manages the entire nervous system, the person infected with the disease experiences other types of symptoms that will have a greater impact on their health.
- Sudden mood swings.
- I dream in the day.
- Insomnia at night.
- Inability to turn a key.
- Joint pains.
- It is important to note that the person at this stage feels even more disoriented by the different changes that their body is experiencing thanks to the fact that the parasite is invading their body in a general way.
- Any effort to be made by the infected person is usually seen as something very difficult to do, seeing itself as a state of laziness, but in a dangerous way it is not, since everything is a consequence of the infection that runs through the body.
- As you get more tired during the day, you stop doing the activities you normally do every day, so you have to take turns sleeping in the day, and you stay awake all night.
- The pains in the body become more and more evident and therefore become quite annoying, so the person loses the notion of what they feel in their body, in addition to the time in which they live.
- After feeling all these annoying symptoms, the patient after the bite of this fly enters a deep coma, from which he usually does not wake up because the brain swells more than it should and causes the death of the person.
- It is important to establish that the African continent has a large area of land, but the habitat of the Tse Tse fly is found in 35 countries across the continent near places that have water or on the coasts.
- People who are engaged in agricultural activities are usually the most likely to receive the bite of this fly and therefore generate more chances of receiving the parasites and being infected instantly.
- Apart from all this, people who live near farm animals, as well as those who are engaged in fishing as a profession, are also prone to being bitten by this type of insect that transmits the disease from animals to humans.
The causes that cause the proliferation of the Tse Tse fly in addition to sleeping sickness can be:
- Fly bite in infected animals.
- Human bite.
- Placement of parasites.
- Beginning of symptoms.
- neurological processes.
Trypanosoma infection is transmitted through the bite of the fly, but also in the following ways:
- By the placenta from the mother to the fetus when the person is pregnant.
- Through insect to insect that carry the parasites inside as a result of having been infected with the fly.
- With needles containing contaminated blood in laboratories.
- Through sexual intercourse through seminal and vaginal fluids or secretions.
- After the tse tse fly bites the individual and imprints the parasite, it begins to reproduce rapidly, resulting in their proliferation in the organism, reaching the point of moving throughout the body.
- This is an invasion that begins with a few elements and then they multiply over a period of a week, at which time the person begins to manifest the symptoms of the infection in their body.
- It is important to be aware of what the infected person says, since this will lead to producing more intense ones, even the most dangerous ones that affect the organs, giving way to a coma and then death.
- The patient experiences changes in his character, and he has strange behaviors. As well as mood swings.
- The most remarkable thing comes to light at the time this occurs, being a wake-up call to assimilate that it is an infection of this type and to which attention must be paid to prevent the death of the patient.
- Although it is assumed that when the stage of the disease is advanced, there is no turning back and the death of the infected person is imminent due to the number of parasites that have invaded each part of the body.
The prevention of the disease should be done with the following indications:
- Fumigate all parts of the site where the fly can breed.
- Fumigate water troughs as well as inside houses.
- Vaccines are not usually a good option because they have adverse effects.
- Although the best thing about this is not to stay where there is a stagnation of Tse Tse flies.
- Wear fresh, clean clothing.
- The colors of the fabrics must be light and cover the exposed parts of the body.
- Apply repellent daily and as many times as necessary so that you are covered against this insect.
- The African continent is one of the hottest places on the entire planet and more so in the part where the Sahara desert is located, for this reason it must be taken into account to take shelter in the hottest hours of the day to avoid flies.
- In addition, place a mosquito net on the bed with an insecticide before bed to prevent insects from entering the bed before going to bed and you will avoid the bites of many of them and the possible diseases that they transmit.
- Make use of the different health centers to help raise awareness among people who are engaged in agriculture, fishing and livestock work to keep the water settlements where the flies are located clean.
- Consult with the specialist to be able to have preventive measures before self-medicating with any type of treatment that is not suitable for this type of infection caused by the bite of the Tse Tse fly.
- Fumigate the parts where it is believed that the fly can reproduce, as well as all the houses, settlements of cattle, coasts, places where there is fresh and clean water, in addition to preventing the animals from being infected.
Tips
- Prevention is the most important thing.
- Learn about insects like ants and others.