Five Things to Know About Leishmaniasis

Published July 30, 2009 @ 05:43AM PT

1. Leishmaniasis is one of the neglected tropical disease, a parasite transmitted through the bite of the female (yes, only the female, just like mosquitoes) sandfly. It can either infect the skin, in cutaneous leishmaniasis, or the organs, in visceral leishmaniasis. Visceral leishmaniasis is also known as kala azar, and involves ghastly swelling. It is generally fatal if untreated.

2. It can be found in Central and South American, Texas, Oklahoma, the Middle East, and Central Asia; 350 million people in 88 countries are at risk for leishmaniasis. (Including me. I live in Central Asia and I am currently being eaten alive by sandflies.) Leishmaniasis is not found in Chile or Uruguay.

3. There are about 1.5 million new cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis every year, and 500,000 new cases of visceral leishmaniasis. 90% of those are in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sudan, and Brazil.

4. There is no particular age or gender risk with leishmaniasis - it affects everyone equally. There is no vaccine or drug to prevent leishmaniasis. Your best bet is to avoid sandfly bites. I have no idea how to do this, since they can get through window screens - sandflies are smaller than mosquitoes, and make no noise. Some people have no reaction to their bites. (Not me. I itch horribly.) The CDC recommends bednets, long sleeves and long pants, bug repellent, and insecticide.

5. Like all tropical diseases, Leishmaniasis is going to spread geographically with global warming. In this case, because climate change will expand the habitat of sandflies.

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Author

Alanna Shaikh has spent the last ten years immersed in global health; she has worked for NGOs, companies, universities, and the US government on projects that ranged from preventing antibacterial resistance to improving maternal and child health.