Flesh Eating Disease Spreading Across Mideast after ISIS turned the streets into a filthy wasteland

oped: Food for thought what about all of the refugees going into other countries around the world including the ones Obama is sending to whatever cities and states he decides! 

'When people are bitten by a sand-fly - which are tiny and smaller than a mosquito - it can take anything between two to six months to have the infection. 

'So someone might have picked it up in Syria but then they may have fled into Lebanon or Turkey, or even into Europe as they seek refuge.   

WHAT IS LEISHMANIASIS AND HOW IS THIS DEADLY DISEASE SPREAD? 

According to the World Health Organisation, there are three main forms of the disease and are spread by more than 20 parasites: 

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: This is the most common form of the disease and causes ulcers on exposed parts of the body. It can also lead to disfigurement, permanent scarring, stigma and disability.  

Visceral Leishmaniasis:  This is the most severe form of the disease and can be fatal if left untreated. The disease targets the major organs and causes irregular bouts of fever, weight loss as well as enlargement of the liver and spleen. 

Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis: This is the most destructive form of the disease, eating away at the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat.

 

A disfiguring tropical disease that had been contained to Syria has now spread across the Middle East as millions are displaced from the war-torn region. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease spread by bites from infected sand flies.  It can lead to severe scarring, often on the face, and regularly goes undiagnosed and untreated. The disease had been contained to Syria, particularly to regions under ISIS control such as Raqqa, Deir al-Zour and Hasakah.

The civil war has devastated the country’s medical facilities, seen thousands of health workers killed and hospitals destroyed. Along with the chronic lack of water and bombed out buildings, this created a ripe breeding ground for the sand flies and allowed the disease to thrive. READ MORE