Tag: Fexinidazole

Over the past two decades, the reported number of new cases of Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), or sleeping sickness, has declined significantly due to sustained control efforts. It's crucial to understand that no **antibiotic is used for sleeping sickness**, because the disease is caused by a protozoan parasite, not bacteria. Therefore, treatment relies on specific antiparasitic drugs designed to target these organisms.

Without treatment, sleeping sickness is almost always fatal, making effective medication critically important. However, there is no single drug of choice for sleeping sickness; instead, the optimal medication depends on the specific parasite subspecies and the stage of the infection.

First synthesized in 1916, suramin was a landmark antiparasitic drug, yet its use has significantly declined due to severe adverse effects, complex administration, and the development of more effective therapies. The question of what is the alternative to suramin is now answered by a range of modern medications tailored to specific diseases.