[Leish-l] FW: PRO/AH/EDR> Leishmaniasis - Syria (03): Turkey ex Syria

[jeffrey shaw]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ProMED-mail <promed at promed.isid.harvard.edu>

Date: 2013/4/9
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Leishmaniasis - Syria (03): Turkey ex Syria
To: promed-ahead-edr at promedmail.org


LEISHMANIASIS - SYRIA (03): TURKEY ex SYRIA


*******************************************

A ProMED-mail post

<http://www.promedmail.org>

ProMED-mail is a program of the

International Society for Infectious Diseases

<http://www.isid.org>



Date: Tue 9 Apr 2013

Source: PRWeb [edited]

<http://www.prweb.com/releases/uossm-med-org/leishmania-outbreak/prweb10613745.htm>





UOSSM [Union of Syrian Medical Relief Organizations] calls on the

World Health organization (WHO) and the international medical agencies

to assist the local health care providers and public health centers

inside Syria and on the Turkish border in treating the escalating

number of leishmania in Northern Syria, and to support the local

health centers in their efforts to control the spread of the disease.

According to Today's Zaman, "Approximately 100 000 people have been

infected with the leishmaniasis in the past 2 years after civil war

broke out in Syria, compared with before the conflict when the number

of cases in Syria had been reduced to 3000-4000."



The increase in the number of cases of _Leishmania_ in Turkey, impose

an additional dimension to the crisis, making the outbreak on the

verge of being regional public health crisis "The increase in the

number of patients suffering from the disease is alarming not only for

Syria but for Turkey as well since leishmaniasis has also reached

Turkey"

(<http://www.todayszaman.com/news-310925-leishmaniasis-outbreak-rings-alarm-bells-at-turkish-syrian-border.html>).




According to WHO, leishmaniasis is a poverty-related disease, and is

associated with malnutrition, displacement, poor housing, illiteracy,

gender discrimination, weakness of the immune system, and lack of

resources. Leishmaniasis is also linked to environmental changes

(<http://www.who.int/leishmaniasis/burden/magnitude/burden_magnitude/en/index.html>).



Mr Daher Zidan, pharmacist and project manager in UOSSM, has been

working on the collecting and analyzing data, said, "The sharp

increase in the number of reported cases of leishmaniasis in Aleppo

and Idlib provinces, denotes the re-emerging of the disease, that is

directly linked to the extensive annihilation of public health

infrastructure, and the abandonment of Syrian local authorities from

municipal maintenance and services." Added that, "The majority of

those cases were reported in areas that are heavily affected by the

conflict, and areas with high poverty and inaccessibility to good

sanitation, due to water shortage and garbage build up that amplifies

the growth of the sand fly." Mr Zidan briefly stated the major

recommendation to control the spread of _Leishmania_, " As

transmission involves sand fly bites to human and injection of the

protozoal parasite, this makes our major priority the elimination of

this fly, in addition to implementing other preventive and control

measures. This is beside an extensive treatment and creation of

specialized centers to control leishmaniasis."



The UOSSM has initiated a well-organized program directed to treat the

old and new cases of leishmaniasis, and coordinate the local municipal

services for better spray and application of insecticide to get rid of

the sand fly. The UOSSM has estimated that the budget needed to treat

and control leishmaniasis is about [USD] 180 000, and urges the WHO

and International medical and humanitarian organizations to

contribute, in order to eradicate _Leishmania_ from the region.



UOSSM views the _Leishmania_ outbreak as a regional public health

crisis that necessitates collaborative efforts between local and

international public health providers.



The UOSSM is a coalition of humanitarian, non-governmental, and

independent organizations, created following the deadly events in

Syria, to provide medical and humanitarian aid to Syrians. UOSSM was

established by 14 medical and relief organizations, and includes

hundreds of physicians of mainly Syrian origin distributed in the

United States, Canada, Europe, and in different Arab countries.



--

Communicated by:

ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts

<promed at promedmail.org>



[It is no surprise that the number of cases increase and that the

infection is spreading into Turkey with the flow of refugees.

Leishmaniasis will also be seen in refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

Children are particularly vulnerable. ProMED-mail follows the outbreak

closely and will be happy to received further information. - Mod.EP



A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at:

<http://healthmap.org/r/3aLZ>.]



[see also:

Leishmaniasis - Syria (02): 20130328.1608713

Leishmaniasis - Syria: RFI 20130227.1562934

2012

----

Leishmaniasis, tuberculosis - Syria (02): comment 20121227.1471041

Leishmaniasis, tuberculosis - Syria 20121226.1470184]

.................................................ep/mj/mpp

*##########################################################*

************************************************************

ProMED-mail makes every effort to  verify  the reports  that

are  posted,  but  the  accuracy  and  completeness  of  the

information,   and  of  any  statements  or  opinions  based

thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in

using information posted or archived by  ProMED-mail.   ISID

and  its  associated  service  providers  shall not be  held

responsible for errors or omissions or  held liable for  any

damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon  posted

or archived material.

************************************************************

Donate to ProMED-mail. Details available at:

<http://www.isid.org/ProMEDMail_Donations.shtml>

************************************************************

Visit ProMED-mail's web site at <http://www.promedmail.org>.

Send all items for posting to: promed at promedmail.org (NOT to

an individual moderator).  If you do not give your full name

name and affiliation,  it may not be posted.  You may unsub-

scribe  at   <http://ww4.isid.org/promedmail/subscribe.php>.

For  assistance  from   a   human   being,   send  mail  to:

<postmaster at promedmail.org>.

############################################################

############################################################


 		 	   		  
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lineu.icb.usp.br/pipermail/leish-l/attachments/20130410/84cd7b8c/attachment.htm>