In the previously described case regarding the 67-year-old Caucasian male, the patient was treated at a tropical disease hospital with a 14-day course of eflornithine (100mg/kg every 6 hours). Following recovery, the patient attended follow up appointments where MRIs showed that even after 18 month of treatment the white cerebral matter (possible inflammation/infection) in brain had not significantly improved (Elliott, Patel, Shah, & Venkatesan, 2014). Therefore, one can conclude that when a patient becomes infected with African sleeping sickness they can be treated, but if the symptoms persist untreated in the meningoencephalitis stage possible neurological damage is likely. Because African trypanosomiasis is not on the global disease radar, it is sometimes overlooked in regard to diseases of those who travel.
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Although there is no vaccine to prevent the transmission of the parasites, there are a number of drugs to treat the infection such as Suramin (T. b. rhodesiense), Pentamidine (T. b. gambiense), Melarsoprol (T. b. rhodesiense and T. b. gambiense), Eflornithine ( late stage of T. b. gambiense) , and Nifurtimox (Fairlamb, 2003). The current drugs to treat African trypanosomiasis, though effective, often lead to drug resistance, toxicity, and poor efficacy. The production of safer and more effective drugs are currently ongoing. The best way to reduce the mortality of African trypanosomiasis is to construct better equipped health-care system in areas endemic to the disease (Simarro, Jannin, & Cattand, 2008). This will include addition human physicians as well as the incorporation of veterinarians and entomologist in cases associated with the zoonotic T. b. rhodesiense. The production more user friendly and non-invasive tools to help with serological tests have encouraged the efforts in other fields of the
Although there is no vaccine to prevent the transmission of the parasites, there are a number of drugs to treat the infection such as Suramin (T. b. rhodesiense), Pentamidine (T. b. gambiense), Melarsoprol (T. b. rhodesiense and T. b. gambiense), Eflornithine ( late stage of T. b. gambiense) , and Nifurtimox (Fairlamb, 2003). The current drugs to treat African trypanosomiasis, though effective, often lead to drug resistance, toxicity, and poor efficacy. The production of safer and more effective drugs are currently ongoing. The best way to reduce the mortality of African trypanosomiasis is to construct better equipped health-care system in areas endemic to the disease (Simarro, Jannin, & Cattand, 2008). This will include addition human physicians as well as the incorporation of veterinarians and entomologist in cases associated with the zoonotic T. b. rhodesiense. The production more user friendly and non-invasive tools to help with serological tests have encouraged the efforts in other fields of the