Minnesota National Guard Warns Of Leishmaniasis

Minnesota National Guard web site

LeishmaniasisLeishmaniasis (LEASH-ma-NIGH-a-sis) is a parasitic disease spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis. The most common forms are cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects some of the internal organs of the body (for example, spleen, liver, bone marrow).

CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS:
People who have cutaneous leishmaniasis have one or more sores on their skin. The sores can change in size and appearance over time. They often end up looking somewhat like a volcano, with a raised edge and central crater.

VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS:
People who have visceral leishmaniasis usually have fever, weight loss, and an enlarged spleen and liver (usually the spleen is bigger than the liver). Some patients have swollen glands. Certain blood tests are abnormal.

TREATMENT:
If you suspect you are infected with leishmaniasis, consult a physician.
There are treatments available for leishmaniasis.
You will need to inform your physician that you were in a combat zone known to have leishmanisis.
They may need to call the CDC (Center for Disease Control) to obtain information on treatment.
Referance:
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/leishmania
or www.pdhealth.mil/leish.asp
http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/returning_troops/health.php

275 children have been struck with leishmaniasis in Iraq

Skin disease strikes Iraqi children

UN Health Officials: Skin Disease Rising in Southern Iraq With Children at Risk

MARIA CHENG
AP News

Feb 14, 2008 12:51 EST

At least 275 children in southern Iraq have been infected with a disfiguring skin disease, an outbreak some health officials are blaming on the war's devastating effect on the public health system.


According to the United Nations — citing reports from Iraq's southern province of Qadissiyah — 275 children have been struck with leishmaniasis, which is spread by sand flies. Most have a form that causes skin sores, but others have a type that strikes internal organs and can be fatal.

"This is a killer disease and we are trying to stop its spread," said Dr. Omer Mekki, an epidemiologist at the World Health Organization's Iraq office.

Two types of leishmaniasis have been found in southern Iraq, according to Mekki: 212 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis, also known as Baghdad boil disease, and 63 cases of visceral leishmaniasis, or kala azar, Hindi for black fever.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is not fatal but can cause facial lesions and crater-shaped sores, leaving patients disfigured. Kala azar can kill, and causes fever, weight loss, anemia, and swelling of the spleen and liver.

Children are particularly at risk because they typically have weaker immune systems than adults. A single sand fly bite can transmit the disease.

Though the disease was first identified in Iraq more than a century ago, outbreaks were rare during Saddam Hussein's regime. But since the conflict began, experts say the destroyed health system has opened the way for diseases lurking in the environment.

Since the conflict began, hundreds of U.S. soldiers have also been infected and scarred by leishmaniasis.

Leishmaniasis also surged in Afghanistan after decades of civil war and the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Though data about the historical number of cases are sketchy, experts say Afghanistan now has about 200,000 cases per year.

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We need to watch this for the soldiers too. Especially the wounded.