The scientists also tested the treatment on laboratory mice with sleeping sickness. They gave them the chemical compound by mouth and say the infection disappeared.
Now, Paul Wyatt says a drug based on the research could be ready for testing in humans within eighteen months. Currently, medicine for sleeping sickness requires a series of injections that are costly and painful. Hospital stays are also needed. And the side effects of the treatment can be serious, sometimes even causing death.
Francois Chappuis is a specialist in neglected tropical diseases with the international group Doctors Without Borders. He says a less costly, easy-to-use medicine for sleeping sickness is badly needed.
FRANCOIS CHAPPUIS: "In areas where the sleeping sickness is still very prevalent, such as remote areas of some central African countries -- which are by the way very unstable areas -- it will be also crucial to have simpler treatment and obviously oral treatment would be the best.”
And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver. Transcripts and MP3s of our reports are at voaspecialenglish.com. You can also find us on Twitter and YouTube. And you can join the community at the new VOA Learning English fan page on Facebook. We're at VOA Learning English. I’m Steve Ember.
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2013-11-25
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