[leish-l] Leishmaniasis - Sudan 2

[Fred R. Opperdoes]

At 17:03 -0500 18/11/02, ProMED Digest wrote:
>Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 12:06:03 -0500 (EST)
>From: ProMED-mail <promed at promed.isid.harvard.edu>
>Subject: PRO/EDR> Leishmaniasis ‚ Sudan (02)
>
>LEISHMANIASIS ‚ SUDAN (02)
>**************************
>A ProMED-mail post
><http://www.promedmail.org>
>ProMED-mail is a program of the
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>
>Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2002 18:57:45 -0500 (EST)
>From: H Larry Penning, MD <hlpenning at yahoo.com>
>Source: Allafrica.com [edited]
><http://allafrica.com/stories/200211150320.html>
>
>
>Visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) continues to spread in southern Sudan
>- ----------------------------------
>A serious bout of the deadly disease kala azar (characterised by acute
>fever), which hit parts of southern Sudan about 6 weeks ago, is now
>reaching alarming levels. According to an international medical relief
>organisation, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), more than 1000 patients are
>currently undergoing treatment, and the figure is likely to increase.
>
>A press statement from MSF says its projects in Eastern Upper Nile State
>are treating 406 and 210 patients in Lankien and Malakal towns,
>respectively, while another programme in Umm el Kher in Gadaref State is
>taking care of 414 cases. "The number of admissions continue at a rate of
>100 per week in Lankien alone," Dr Yoseph Melaku, who had just arrived from
>the affected areas told AANA last week. Melaku described the outbreak as
>severe, saying that in previous cases, the number of patients hardly exceed
>200 at high season, while during low season, only about 20 people suffer
>serious attacks. He noted that malnutrition, displacement and poor access
>to health care reduce people's natural immunity and that such conditions
>are responsible for widespread outbreaks of such infections. Prior to a
>recent ceasefire agreement between Sudan government and the Sudan Peoples'
>Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), humanitarian organisations have had
>difficulties in accessing war-torn areas in the Sudan. The second phase of
>peace talks between the Sudanese government and the SPLM/A being held in
>Kenya have since yielded a ceasefire agreement banning all military
>activity for as long as the talks are going on. MSF is now optimistic that
>they will be able to access most of the affected zones. "The ceasefire
>agreement may mean that we can soon get into areas that we have not been
>able to reach until now," said MSF's operational director, Dr Antonio Bastos.
>
>Kala azar, which is medically referred to as visceral leishmaniasis, is a
>parasitic disease transmitted by the sand fly. If left untreated, the
>illness can be fatal. The disease is endemic in parts of Sudan, Ethiopia,
>and Somalia and usually peaks during this time of the year. Melaku said
>there are a lot of sand flies in southern Sudan and control of the disease
>may be complicated due to the wide area covered by the flies. Residents are
>advised to sleep under mosquito nets in order to avoid being bitten by the
>fly. MSF said the major setback for medical relief organisations is the
>high cost of drugs and the need for more research and development efforts
>to realise effective treatments.
>
>(byline: Joyce Mulama [Nairobi])
>
>- --
>ProMED-mail
><promed at promedmail.org>
>
>[It is still important to relate the increase in leishmaniasis in the area
>to the prevalence of HIV infection. - Mod.EP]
>
>[See also:
>Leishmaniasis ‚ Sudan      20021110.5767
>1998
>- ---
>Leishmaniasis - Sudan (02) 19980125.0180
>Leishmaniasis - Sudan      19980123.0169]
>
>......................ep/sh
>
>------------------------------
-- 
Fred R. Opperdoes,
Research Unit for Tropical Diseases (TROP) and
Laboratory of Biochemistry (BCHM)
Christian de Duve Institute of Cellular Pathology (ICP)
and Catholic University of Louvain (UCL)
Avenue Hippocrate 74-75, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium

Tel: +32-2-764.74.39 (secretary) Fax: ++32-2-762.68.53
Tel: +32-2-764.74.55 (direct)
Voicemail/fax: +3270705047 (070705047)
E-mail:Opperdoes at trop.ucl.ac.be
Internet: http://www.icp.ucl.ac.be/trop/
           http://www.icp.ucl.ac.be/~opperd/Fred.html