[leish-l] Leishmaniasis - Nicaragua (Jinotega)

[Fred R. Opperdoes]

At 10:31 AM -0400 6/5/05, ProMED Digest wrote:
>LEISHMANIASIS - NICARAGUA (JINOTEGA)
>*************************************
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>International Society for Infectious Diseases
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>
>Date: Sat 4 Jun 2005
>From: Alfonso Rodriguez <ajrm_msds at yahoo.es>
>Source: Mi Punto.com Noticias [translated by Mod.JGM, edited]
><http://www.mipunto.com/punto_noticias/noticia_medicina.jsp?tipo=MEDICINA&ar>
>
>
>Leishmaniasis, northern Nicaragua
>- -------------------------------------
>A leishmaniasis outbreak has attacked 667 people in Northern Nicaragua. The
>Nicaraguan Ministry of Health reported last Wednesday [25 May 2005] that
>667 rural workers became infected with leishmaniasis, a disease known as
>"mountain leprosy" [presumable cutaneous leishmaniasis], in communities in
>the Northern part of the country.
>
>"We observed that cases increased, particularly in children. This is why we
>sent health care teams to assist sick people and to perform laboratory
>tests in order to detect how many people are affected," said Margarita
>Gurdian, Nicaragua Minister of Health.
>
>The infection has spread to 13 communities in Cua County, Jinotega
>Department, 162 km (100 miles) north of the Capital City, where the
>Ministry of Health sent a health care team in order to supply medicines and
>assist sick people. Most patients are less than 15 years old. The most
>affected community is El Galope, with a total number of 332 rural workers
>affected with leishmaniasis, a disease transmitted by the bite of a
>mosquito called _Phlebotomus_, which causes skin ulceration and
>destruction. The mosquito usually reproduces during the rainy season in the
>Jinotega region, particularly in Cua county, where 233 cases of
>leishmaniasis were reported last year [2004].
>