Sleeping Sickness (Noun)
Meaning
An encephalitis that was epidemic between 1915 and 1926; symptoms include paralysis of the extrinsic eye muscle and extreme muscular weakness.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The patient was diagnosed with sleeping sickness, which was nearly unheard of in this part of the world, after experiencing extreme muscular weakness and eye muscle paralysis.
- After contracting sleeping sickness during her travels, she spent several months in recovery before making a full recovery.
- Historical records show that between 1915 and 1926, a widespread epidemic of sleeping sickness affected millions of people worldwide.
- Despite its name, sleeping sickness is not directly related to sleep disorders but rather a severe and sometimes fatal disease caused by viral encephalitis.
- Due to its high mortality rate and severe symptoms, the 1915-1926 sleeping sickness epidemic remains one of the most significant public health crises of the 20th century.