Leishmaniasis

The first of these will cause disfiguring skin lesions, usually appearing on face, arms and legs.  The second, found only in Latin America, is the muco-cutaneous form which results in destruction of nasal and oral tissues with severe disfigurement as a result.  The final form, visceral leishmaniasis, is found in the Indian sub-continent and Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. It causes severe damage to the liver, spleen and bone marrow where the parasite multiplies. It produces the typical swollen-belly symptom due to the result of a swollen spleen. As the disease progresses, the skin on the hands, feet, abdomen and face may darken, illustrating the disease’s Hindi name Kala-Azar, or `black fever.' This strain may cause death, especially in children.

WHO estimates that 12 million people are currently infected, with around 1.5 -2 million new infections occurring annually.

The sandfly is a minute insect which is very difficult to control.  Larval control is virtually impossible due to their diverse breeding sites.  The adults may only be controlled by Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) or insecticide-impregnated bednets.  Clinical treatment of the disease is extremely expensive, making insect control the economically-favoured method.