A new parasitic disease known as Leishmaniasis has broken out in the northern areas of Pakistan. The IAMAT has given it the status of highly endemic with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the target area for the disease.
What is Leishmaniasis?
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic condition which affects the skin. There are around 20 species of the parasite Leishmania which can spread the disease. The carriers of the parasite are usually female sandflies. Sandflies are very small and their bite is not painful. So, they usually go unnoticed, which is why the disease usually spreads at a fast rate.
According to a WHO report, around 700,000 to 1 million new cases of the disease arise globally every year. The symptoms of Leishmaniasis include ulcers on the skin which are prone to bacterial infection.
In advanced cases, the ulcers may spread to the mucous glands too. The ulcers are not life-threatening only in extreme cases, even in their milder forms they leave life-long marks attracting a lot of stigma from the society.
History of Leishmaniasis in Pakistan
The first major outbreak of Leishmaniasis in Pakistan occurred in the early 2000’s. According to a WHO report, 5000 cases of cutaneous Leishmaniasis arose in the Kurram agency. The disease first erupted in the refugee camps but later spread through the whole agency.
At that time, the WHO in collaboration with the Iranian government sent 1670 vials of vaccination to Pakistan. The WHO also got the Pakistani government involved to train the health workers and for vector control strategies. As a result, the epidemic was controlled to a great extent with the ‘new cases’ rate subsiding gradually.
Current Situation
Unfortunately, Leishmaniasis has hit Pakistan again and this time around the situation is even worse. According to the reports by Pakistan Health ministry, 28000 cases of Leishmaniasis have been reported in the past six months. Pakistan health ministry has also announced that the WHO has donated 10,000 vials. The main reason that the epidemic has hit the tribal areas is resistance to vaccines by the locals.
Another factor is lack of investment from the authorities in health-care since the areas used to be void of federal authority not too long ago.
How to avoid it?
IAMAT has released some precautionary measures which can be taken to avoid the nasty parasitic disease. They are as follows:
- Avoid all outdoor activities
- Soak the clothes in permethrin before wearing them
- Use a repellent and keep reapplying according to the directions given by the manufacturers.
- Sleep in air-conditioned rooms and under permethrin nets to avoid sandflies.
If you encounter any abnormal skin sore, seek a doctor’s help as soon as possible.
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This article was produced in partnership with oladoc.com, a digital health company in Pakistan. Using oladoc, you can find doctors for infectious diseases in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and book an appointment online.
