Over 17,000 cases of leishmaniasis recorded in Syria’s Aleppo
ALEPPO, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Health Directorate of Aleppo said, on September 9, that the number of leishmaniasis infections had exceeded 17,000 since the beginning of this month in Aleppo Governorate, northwest Syria.
Samir al-Adel, the head of Leishmaniasis Control Center in Aleppo, expected an increase in the number of infections, as stated in an interview with government media outlets.
“Aleppo is witnessing an unprecedented surge in the number of leishmaniasis infections without intervention from the concerned authorities to combat the disease,” according to a medical source in the Leishmaniasis Control Center.
A medical source told North Press that the large numbers of infected people need urgent intervention to halt spreading the disease, knowing that the disease is non-fatal but it weakens the immune system.
The source further added that the concerned authorities must control the disease via raising awareness, providing relevant health services, activating prevention campaigns, and providing water and vaccines to rural areas.