By Libya Herald reporters.
Tripoli, 11 October 2015:
Skin sores, infectious ulcers, which triggered high fever, have sent scores of Tripoli residents to . . .[restrict]hospitals in recent days, a medical source in the capital has told the Libya Herald.
The patients needed treatment after being bitten by sandflies, which cause Leishmaniasis, also known as Kala-Azar. The prevalence of these insects is being blamed on the spread of garbage across the city.
Many social media posts are condemning municipal officials for the stinking mess.
Leishmaniasis, a disease spread by the bite of sandfly, has three forms. The least serious produces painful skin sores and while the most serious “visceral” form is fatal if untreated. It can though, be tackled, almost always successfully, with compounds containing antimony. However these drugs can have bad side effects.
Caused by a parasite injected by the bite of bloodsucking sandflies, the disease every year infects nearly one million people worldwide, mostly in the Middle East and South America. The long-lasting skin sores, sometimes produced disfigurement which requires plastic surgery.
Although sandflies, usually smaller than mosquitos, can pass through most protective netting, their bites can be prevented by wearing protective clothing.
The World Health Organisation has said that the best way to combat the sandflies and the parasite they carry is good public health and sanitation. [/restrict]
