Sand fly assault: New disease takes the locals of Chattar by surprise

People reluctant to approach doctors for treatment; first victim was reported last April.

ISLAMABAD:

About 70 people in Karlot near Chattar have been affected by cutaneous leishmaniasis, a skin ulcer caused by infected female sand flies, but less than half have approached doctors for treatment.

According to the information gathered from the rural health centre (RHC) in Bhara Kahu, 24 patients out of these 70 have been registered and are currently under treatment.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a senior health official in RHC appointed to conduct a research on this disease, who wished not to be named, said the majority of victims are children and women because sand flies live in cracks of the walls inside houses.

“People were first bitten by the sand fly last April but cases were reported this month,” he said. The main reason behind the delay is that the residents of this area are illiterate and they tried to treat the disease with home remedies or medicated creams. Besides this, some patients are reluctant to register themselves with the RHC, he added.

The disease is more common in rural areas and it spreads like dengue fever as it is caused by a parasite that transfers to humans through the bite of an infected fly. The bite causes a single or multiple sores all over the body. The sores take months or almost a year to heal and leave scars on the body. If left untreated, they can result in serious complications, affecting internal organs, particularly the spleen and the liver. Therefore to control its spread it is very important to keep the infected person away from all sand flies, he said.

The majority cannot afford the treatment as one injection costs Rs400 which needs to be nursed continuously for 20 days.

The government does not provide injections for this disease, therefore the World Health Organisation (WHO) has given 200 injections, said another official. However, these injections are insufficient considering the number of patients, he added.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Amir Ali Ahmed said, “The administration lacks the expertise to control the spread of this disease because it is new, but various surveys have been undertaken along with fumigation in the area.”

It has affected many people and the administration is making all-out efforts for their treatment, Ahmed added.

According to the WHO this is a poverty-related disease. Malnutrition, displacement, poor housing, illiteracy, gender discrimination, weakness of the immune system and lack of resources are factors which contribute to its spread.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2012.