What is Leishmaniasis?
By Josephine Gikaru
According to the World Health Organization , Leishmaniasis is caused by a protozoa parasite from over 20 Leishmania species. Over 90 sand-fly species are known to transmit Leishmania parasites.
The disease gets to humans through a bite from an infected Phlebotomus sand fly and occurs mainly in three forms that is cutaneous, mucocutaneous, or visceral leishmaniasis.
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The Medicine Net describes Cutaneous as the most common form of Leishmaniasis. This type causes sores on the skin. The sores heal slowly over months or years and whereas leaves scars. Affected people may have a single lesion or many lesions.
With the Mucocutaneous form the parasite infects tissues of major organs such as the bone marrow, liver and spleen and may be fatal if left untreated.
Visceral leishmaniasis the parasite spreads from the skin through the blood and lymph fluids to vital organs of the body. This type of infection more fatal compared to mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.
Symptoms of Leishmaniasis
Symptoms appear in weeks to months after the bite of the sand fly. Less commonly, symptoms arise only years later when a person’s immune system becomes suppressed.
- Fever
- Low blood count
- Enlargement of the spleen and Liver
- Weight Loss
- An increase in Globulin levels( globules are proteins in the blood
Diagnosis and treatment
Leishmaniasis has been isolated as a tropical disease in most countries according to the World Health Organisation.
The best way to prevent leishmaniasis is to avoid the bite of the sand fly. Precautions should include protective clothing, shirts tucked into pants, long pants, and socks and insect repellents.
For areas where there is leishmaniasis, infected people are not needed to maintain the transmission cycle of the parasite in nature; animal hosts such as rodents or dogs, along with sand flies, maintain the cycle. Early diagnosis helps make the treatment ore effective and takes less time.
