US soldiers in Iraq infected with skin disease

People Daily ^ | 12.07.03

[Dr. Marten]

US soldiers in Iraq infected with skin disease

 

150 US soldiers in Iraq have been diagnosed with a parasitic skin disease, and hundreds more could unknowingly be infected, experts said.

So far 148 soldiers have confirmed cases, but hundreds more are expected, entomologist and Army Lt. Col. Russell Coleman, who spent 10 months in Iraq, was quoted by the USA Today newspaper as saying on Friday.

The disease, Leishmaniasis, which is called the "Baghdad Boil" by US soldiers, is carried by biting sand flies and doesn't spread from person to person. It causes skin lesions that if untreated may take months, even years, to heal and can be disfiguring, doctors said.

Sand flies are active during warm weather, and soon after US troops arrived in Iraq in late March, "we started seeing soldiers basically eaten alive," Coleman said. "They'd get a hundred, in some cases, 1,000 bits in a single night."

The disease has an incubation period of six months on average, so a person infected in September may not show symptoms until March.

Coleman and Army Lt. Col. Peter Weina, a leishmaniasis expert still in Iraq, predicted in April that there would be 400 cases, based on the number of bites seen and tests that show about one in every 70 sand flies carries the bug.

US doctors are concerned that soldiers coming home may be harboring the parasite without knowing it, the report said.

Leishmaniasis is rare in the United States, and American doctors may not recognize it, said Glenn Wortmann, a physician at the Washington-based Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

[Beck_isright]

US soldiers in Iraq infected with skin disease

Funny. Hillary has the same effect everywhere she goes.

[Cindy]

I've heard other news reports on that subject.

Is that a pretty common problem in that area do you know?

[Dr. Marten]

"Is that a pretty common problem in that area do you know?"

This is the first I have heard of it. I guess I would be curious as to whether or not the natives are affected the same way and if not, what do they do to prevent it?

[stylin19a]

based on these figures, since they've lived there all their lives, it would seem all Iraqis should be looking like the elephant man.

[pepsionice]

I think most people in the Middle East have built up a resistance to it after 1000s of years. My bet is that alot of the guys from the Gulf War have this problem...and simply don't realize it. But of course, our nitwit military health professionals wouldn't dare admit that they missed this over the last 10 years.

[Cindy]

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The disease, Leishmaniasis, which is called the "Baghdad Boil" by US soldiers, is carried by biting sand flies and doesn't spread from person to person. It causes skin lesions that if untreated may take months, even years, to heal and can be disfiguring, doctors said."

GOOGLE Search Term: "Leishmaniasis"
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Leishmaniasis%22&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&filter=0

CDC.gov: "Leishmaniasis"
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/leishmaniasis.htm

[Humidston]

Too bad the environazis have forced us to abandon all effective methods of extermination. A little DDT would probably take care of the problem.

[optimistically_conservative]

Uhhh ... this is a yawner really. It's easily "cured." When I came back from Iraq after DS I couldn't give blood for 6 months "just in case."

[Dr. Marten]

"I couldn't give blood for 6 months "just in case."

That applies to anyone who travels overseas.

[Cindy]

Thank you for your service Optimist.

Yes, I researched my own question there
and while I do feel very sorry for the troops
and others who come down with this disease;
I didn't find it to be unusual for that area.

[optimistically_conservative]

"I couldn't give blood for 6 months "just in case."

That applies to anyone who travels overseas.

No, it doesn't. There are specific restrictions put in place for donating blood for very specific reasons. There is not a one fits all 6 month restriction for any overseas travel.

A good list I googled is at Blood Donation Guidelines

[Dr. Marten]

Ok, I guess I should be more specific...this applies for anyone traveling to specific regions overseas. Generally, that applies to most places. Especially to the areas I travel to.

[stlnative]

Nasty Stuff...


Leishmaniasis, any of several diseases caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Leishmania, is spread to humans through the bite of the sandfly. About 12 million people are infected with Leishmania species worldwide, but it is rare in the United States. The parasite has infected large numbers of foxhounds in this country, however, causing health officials to closely monitor the disease to assess the risk of transmission to people.

Visceral leishmaniasis, an infection of the internal organs, may produce fever, weight loss, anemia, and enlarged liver or spleen, or it may cause no symptoms. The disease is usually fatal if untreated. Visceral leishmaniasis has emerged as a major coinfection in people with HIV/AIDS in some regions of the world.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an infection of the skin that produces multiple, often painful ulcers or sores. The sores can lead to permanent scarring. This form of the disease is most common in South America and the Middle East. Very rarely, cutaneous leishmaniasis is reported in southern Texas.

Mucosal leishmaniasis is an infection of the nose, throat, mouth, and pharynx. If untreated the disease can destroy the nasal passages and soft palate. The disease is most common in South America, specifically Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.

Leishmaniasis can be treated, but drug resistance is a growing problem. The disease is best prevented by avoiding areas where sandflies live, or by wearing protective clothing. No vaccine is available.

[Cindy]

Worse than poison oak.

[cricket]

"The disease is best prevented by avoiding areas where sandflies live, or by wearing protective clothing. No vaccine is available."

Innocuous advice given the rather horrendous impact of this bite from a sand fly.

I don't know; but wonder if taking or using topically, doses of 'colloidal silver' would offer any protection.