AANES warns of leishmaniasis spread in Syria’s Manbij
MANBIJ, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Health Committee affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East of Syria (AANES) in Manbij warned on Monday of the spread of leishmaniasis among the population, especially during high temperatures.
Feryal al-Hassan, member of the Health Committee in Manbij, said they recorded 310 cases of leishmaniasis in July in addition to 1,817 recipients of treatment.
“Leishmaniasis spreads in places close to the swamps such as the village of al-Mankouba and the surrounding villages, which are crossed by the sewage canal of the city, not to mention the villages near the Euphrates River, where the disease spread due to the low level of the river”, she added.
The symptoms appear on the infected person after six months of being bitten by a sand fly, leaving its bite with red blisters, before quickly becoming pus-filled blisters, according to al-Hassan.
“The health centers in Manbij receive patients and conduct clinical and laboratory examinations for them for free, and provide them with the necessary treatment”, she added.
The treatment is divided into topical and intramuscular, in the first the patient receives two doses per week for four weeks, and in the second the patient receives 20 doses over 20 days.
On July 23, the Environment Directorate in Manbij Municipality launched a campaign to combat sand flies to reduce the spread of leishmaniasis, targeting areas where infections are frequent.