Risk for Travelers

* Infection of international travelers occurs but is rare. On average, a single case per year is reported among U.S. travelers.
* Most infections in U.S. travelers are caused by T. b. rhodesiense and are acquired in East Africa game parks.
* Tsetse flies inhabit rural areas, living in the woodlands and thickets of the savannah and the dense vegetation along streams. Less than 1% of flies are infected in a typical endemic area.
* Tsetse flies bite during daylight hours. Most bites that occur on the African savannah are quite painful, and travelers often recall the bite.
* Travelers to urban areas are not at risk.