Definition of sleeping sickness Sleeping sickness
sleep•ing sick•ness
We found 3 definitions of sleeping sickness from 3 different sources.
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What does sleeping sickness mean?
WordNet
Noun |
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| sleeping sickness - an encephalitis that was epidemic between 1915 and 1926; symptoms include paralysis of the extrinsic eye muscle and extreme muscular weakness | ||
| sleepy sickness, epidemic encephalitis, lethargic encephalitis, encephalitis lethargica | ||
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Wiktionary 
- sleeping sickness (Noun)
An endemic infectious disease of humans and animals in tropical Africa, caused by a parasitic trypanosome, transmitted by the tsetse fly and characterized by fever, severe headache, joint pains and lymph node swelling in the early stages, followed by a neurological phase of extreme weakness, sleepiness, and deep coma leading to death.
Wikipedia 
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Sleeping sickness is a disease. It is caused by a parasite. The tsetse fly can spread it. It can mainly be observed in tropical Africa. Today, between 50.000 and 70.000 people are infected with it.
Today, drugs are available that can treat the disease. These drugs are usually based on Arsenic. The treatment is usually done in a hospital, because the drugs have many side-effects. Up to 10% of the people die from taking the drug. The best prevention is to avoid insect bites.
