African sleeping sickness: Political ecology, colonialism, and control in Uganda
In: Studies in African Health and Medicine, Vol. 5
Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) is a disease of the nervous system that occurs in man as well as domestic and wild animals, and is caused by parasites transmitted by the tsetse fly. The author first outlines the background ecological requirements and behavioral characteristics of tsetse, and examines the trypanosomiases that occur in Uganda with major reference to man and cattle. He then analyzes the extent to which precapitalist society provided controls on diseases and how this structure was effectively halted by the forces of colonialism. Finally, he assesses the viability of the major trypanosomiasis-control strategies. The author argues that the problem of trypanosomiasis turned out not to be an inherent problem of Uganda, but an outcome of colonialism and neocolonialism accompanied by high levels of capitalist dependency and significant changes in indigenous sociopolitical and economic relationships. (DÜI-Hff)