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This is an interestng report that possibly indicates CL urbanization. The 5 month CL figures for Colombia are low which may or may not support the Colombian Secretary of Health´s opinion of successful control. Given the zoonotic cycle of CL it seems unlikely that the disease will be eradicated as suggested in a local newspaper (El Espectador)<br><br><div><div id="SkyDrivePlaceholder"></div><hr id="stopSpelling"><style><!--
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{font-size:10pt;font-family:Tahoma;}</style><div dir="ltr"><div><div id="ecxSkyDrivePlaceholder"></div><hr id="ecxstopSpelling">From: <b class="ecxgmail_sendername">ProMED-mail</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu">promed@promed.isid.harvard.edu</a>></span><br><div class="ecxgmail_quote">
Date: 2012/6/16<br>Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Leishmaniasis, cutaneous - Colombia<br>To: <a href="mailto:promed-ahead-edr@promedmail.org">promed-ahead-edr@promedmail.org</a><br><br><br>LEISHMANIASIS, CUTANEOUS - COLOMBIA<br>
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A ProMED-mail post<br>
<<a href="http://www.promedmail.org" target="_blank">http://www.promedmail.org</a>><br>
ProMED-mail is a program of the<br>
International Society for Infectious Diseases<br>
<<a href="http://www.isid.org" target="_blank">http://www.isid.org</a>><br>
<br>
Date: Fri 15 Jun 2012<br>
Source: Colombia Reports [edited]<br>
<<a href="http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24591-yellow-alert-for-skin-disease-in-central-colombia-el-espectador.html" target="_blank">http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/24591-yellow-alert-for-skin-disease-in-central-colombia-el-espectador.html</a>><br>
<br>
<br>
Colombian authorities warned of a potential skin disease outbreak<br>
Thursday [14 Jun 2012] after 7 cases of leishmaniasis were reported in<br>
the southcentral city of Neiva.<br>
<br>
The Colombian Secretary of Health, Mauricio Santa Maria, said that<br>
there have been 36 registered cases throughout the country in 2012 of<br>
the skin disease known as leishmaniasis, which is caused by protozoan<br>
parasites and transmitted by sandfly bites.<br>
<br>
The disease's symptoms include skin sores and in some cases fever,<br>
anemia and damage to the liver and spleen. Santa Maria noted that 7<br>
cases were concentrated in Neiva, a city located in the southern<br>
department of Huila.<br>
<br>
Officials raised the alert level for the disease from green to yellow<br>
to hinder the breakout of a larger epidemic. A yellow alert level<br>
means the state-run Committee for Disaster Prevention and Response<br>
convenes to identify risk factors in the case of a possible outbreak.<br>
<br>
Juan Gonzalo Lopez, director of Colombia's National Health Institute,<br>
said that the number of reported cases had decreased in the past few<br>
years. He also said he was "optimistic" about the possibility of<br>
completely eradicating the disease from Colombian soil, according to<br>
El Espectador [newspaper].<br>
<br>
Currently, there are no vaccines used to prevent the disease. Drug<br>
treatments typically include a chemical element known as antimony,<br>
although several less commonly used treatments exist. Leishmaniasis is<br>
easily transmitted in tropical and sub-tropical locales and has been<br>
reported in 88 countries.<br>
<br>
[Byline: Olle Ohlsen Pettersson]<br>
<br>
--<br>
Communicated by:<br>
ProMED-mail from HealthMap alerts<br>
<<a href="mailto:promed@promedmail.org">promed@promedmail.org</a>><br>
<br>
[Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Colombia has recently been reviewed<br>
(Valderrama-Ardila C: Environmental Risk Factors for the Incidence of<br>
American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a Sub-Andean Zone of Colombia<br>
(Chaparral, Tolima). Am J Trop Med Hyg 2010; 82(2): 243-50; available<br>
at <<a href="http://www.ajtmh.org/content/82/2/243.long" target="_blank">http://www.ajtmh.org/content/82/2/243.long</a>>).<br>
<br>
Cutaneous leishmaniasis transmission has been shifting from sylvatic<br>
areas to domestic and peridomestic habitats (Davies CR et al: The<br>
epidemiology and control of leishmaniasis in Andean countries. Cad<br>
Saude Publica 2000; 16(4): 925-50; available at<br>
<<a href="http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2000000400013&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en" target="_blank">http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2000000400013&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=en</a>>).<br>
<br>
Recorded cases in Colombia have increased from an average of 6500<br>
cases per year in the 1990s to 18 098 in 2005 and 16 098 in 2006, and<br>
cutaneous leishmaniasis comprises 95 percent of reported cases<br>
(Zambrano P: Comportamiento de la leishmaniasis en Colombia. Biomedica<br>
(Bogota) 2007; 27(2):83-4). - Mod.EP<br>
<br>
A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at:<br>
<<a href="http://healthmap.org/r/2u93" target="_blank">http://healthmap.org/r/2u93</a>>.]<br>
<br>
[see also:<br>
2011<br>
----<br>
Leishmaniasis, visceral - Colombia: blood transfusion 20110323.0914<br>
Leishmaniasis - Colombia: (ST) 20110227.0651<br>
2005<br>
----<br>
Leishmaniasis - Colombia: 2004 20050203.0367<br>
2001<br>
----<br>
Leishmaniasis - Colombia (background) 20010530.1056<br>
Leishmaniasis - Colombia 20010526.1028]<br>
.................................................sb/ep/mj/dk<br>
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