infectious diseases
African Trypanosomiasis
Prevention of African Trypanosomiasis
Prevention of African trypanosomiasis includes avoiding endemic areas and protecting against tsetse flies. Visitors to game parks should wear substantial wrist- and ankle-length clothing (tsetse flies bite through thin clothes) in neutral colors that blend with the background and should use insect repellents, although efficacy of repellents against tsetse flies may be limited. Pentamidinecan help preventT. b. gambienseinfection, but it may damage pancreatic beta cells, resulting ininsulinrelease and hypoglycemia followed later by diabetes; thus, it is no longer used for prophylaxis. 