IIRC, recent veterans have contracted kala azar.
What is Black Fever?
Black fever is a deadly disease transmitted via the bite of an infected sand fly. It usually develops over several months or years. If black fever is not treated, it can be fatal.
Black fever is also called kala-azar and leishmaniasis.
What Causes Black Fever?
Black fever is caused by a protozoa called Leishmania. The parasitic life cycle of leishamania includes the sandfly and an appropriate host. Humans are one of those hosts.
Symptoms of Black Fever?
Some common symptoms of black fever are:
persistent fever
night sweats
fatigue
weakness
appetite loss
weight loss
abdominal discomfort, vague
vomiting (children)
diarrhea (children)
cough (children)
scaly skin
anemia
gray, dark, ashen skin
thinning hair
enlarged spleen
enlarged liver
enlarged lymph nodes
Can Black Fever be Treated?
Yes. If treated properly, black fever can be cured. The most common treatment is medicine containing antimony compounds. Cure rates are high with antimony compounds. For best results, treatment should be given before damage to the immune system has occurred.
Complications of Black Fever?
Some common complications are:
facial disfigurement
damaged immune system
hemorrhage
WARNING GRAPHIC PIC
MPIbpC: Leishmaniase geheilt
Address:http://www.mpibpc.gwdg.de/abteilungen/293/PR/00_01/bild3.html Changed:7:20 AM on Saturday, January 29, 2000
The government of India had to be sold on this stuff. I guess they liked the old arsenic treatments better huh.
Good for them. This is how the market is supposed to work.
Drugs like that are supposed to get government money. Too bad all of our government money goes towards 'more important' diseases.
What Ms. Devi is suffering is visceral leishmaniasis. This form of the disease is relatively rare outside India.
Far more common is cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is rarely fatal but can be disfiguring. It is relatively easy to contract this disease in may parts of the Middle East, Mexico, and Central and South America. You won't find it in South East Asia, though.
I've seen some of this disease, but I've never heard of this particular treatment. What I have seen is treatment of the skin under which the protozoa is lurking with a liquid nitrogen spray. This application of ultra cold kills the parasites at that locality, but no one can guarantee that there aren't more lurking nearby ready to form the typical ulcerating sores at any time.
An anti-protozoan drug would be very welcome to all leishmaniasis sufferers.
Stem cells help broken bones heal Click on the source's name, i.e. Wash. Times, for the rest of the story.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
Bill Gates horning in on Jimmy Carter's game.