6. Tsetse Fly
Estimated Deaths Per Year: ~10,000
Location: Sub-Saharan Africa
The tsetse fly is a bloodsucking insect found mostly in Africa. It is the main vector for African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness — a disease that is fatal if left untreated. These flies look like regular houseflies but are far more dangerous.
Once bitten, the parasite enters the bloodstream and moves to the central nervous system. Symptoms start as fever and fatigue but later lead to confusion, personality changes, and eventually coma and death. Rural populations living near forests and riverbanks are most at risk.
Tsetse flies thrive in warm, humid areas and often bite during the day. Unlike mosquitoes, both male and female tsetse flies bite. Protective clothing, insect repellent, and trapping programs are the main defense methods.
Recent progress in screening and treating infected individuals has reduced fatalities, but the disease remains a public health concern in parts of Congo, Angola, and South Sudan.
