Monsters Inside Me
Script
My story starts in southeastern Africa, in the country Malawi. I was there to visit the community because it is called the “Warm Heart of Africa,” I was also there to visit some wildlife reserves which have a rehabilitated game population that feature lions, elephants, buffalos, leopards, and rhinos. All was going well, the country was amazing there was a lot to see and explore, although the bugs were bothersome while on the game reserves. However, near the end of my two-week trip I started to develop a fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, and I had enlarged lymph nodes. Luckily I was already getting on a flight back home to the United States, where I knew I would feel better. Once home though, I became progressively more confused, so I decided it was time to see a doctor. The doctor ordered several tests to find out what was wrong with me, they had a suspicion that I was infected with the parasite Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense more commonly known as African sleeping sickness. It was confirmed from my blood that this was the cause of my problems, but they had to determine what stage it was in so they took a cerebrospinal fluid sample to find out whether it had moved into my central nervous system, which requires a specific drug for treatment. With this information I was able to be treated with Melarsoprol by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. There is no cure for the disease so I now have to have examinations of my cerebrospinal fluid every 2 years, so that relapse can be detected if it occurs.
It turns out that while on one of the reserves I was bit by the tsetse fly which transmitted T. brucei to my blood stream where the trypomastigotes replicated by binary fission and were carried throughout my body. Some people develop a large sore at the site of the bite. In my case the disease was able to pass the blood-brain and infect my central nervous system, which is considered the second stage of the disease. The first stage entails the duration in which the parasite was within my blood stream but not yet in my central nervous system. A wild animal reservoir is thought to be responsible for sporadic transmission to hunters and visitors to game parks. The disease is commonly found in eastern and southeastern Africa and over 95% of the cases of human infection occur in Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia. Since I have recuperated I have learned some important tips to prevent contracting this disease, most measures are aimed at minimizing contact with the flies. This includes avoiding places that are heavily infested, wearing neutral long sleeved t-shirts, because the flies are attracted to light and dark colors. The flies are also attracted to the motion of cars so it is recommended that you inspect vehicles before getting in them as well.
In my case I was lucky, since I had access to treatment and it was caught somewhat early, if I had left it untreated it would have eventually led to coma and death within months. This monster inside me could have easily killed me and I am happy to be alive.