Wear khaki, olive, or other neutral-colored clothing. Prevention. Use bed nets when sleeping. Wear khaki or olive colored clothing. Treatment includes taking antiparasitic drugs. Wear neutral-colored clothing. The tsetse fly is attracted to bright colors and very dark colors. Tsetse flies are attracted to bright and dark contrasting colors. Microscopic African trypanosomes (left), the parasites that cause African sleeping sickness, are spread by the bite of the tsetse fly (right). Prevent tsetse fly bites by taking the following steps: Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats. Look inside vehicles for tsetse flies before getting into them. Seek immediate medical attention if bitten by a tsetse fly (the bite is painful) and symptoms appear. Infections begin with mild to moderate symptoms like fever and body aches before moving on to serious neurological issues that include sleep disturbances (which give the disease its name). If untreated, African Trypanosomiasis can lead to a coma and be fatal. The tsetse fly can bite through thin fabrics, so clothing should be made of thick material. Travellers going on safari and rural areas should avoid getting bitten by tsetse flies. Tsetse flies can bite through material, so clothing should be made of thick fabric. New research at the Yale School of Public Health has identified a family of proteins that significantly reduce the number of parasites found in the blood. African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, is a neglected tropical disease caused by a parasite and spread by the tsetse fly in sub-Saharan Africa. Clothing fabric should be at least medium weight because the tsetse fly can bite through thin fabric.