Subscriptions Central AfricaEast AfricaHorn of AfricaIndian OceanNorth AfricaSouthern AfricaWest AfricaAfrica / World Agriculture - NutritionCulture - ArtsEconomy - DevelopmentEnvironment - NatureGay - LesbianGender - WomenHealthHuman rightsLabourMediaPoliticsScience - EducationSocietyTechnologyTravel - Leisure From Behind By Country By Topic Chronological Press Releases Partner Media Contact Us
   
  

See also:
» 11.03.2010 - UN confirms Somalia food aid corruption
» 01.03.2010 - Somalia’s TFG hailed after one year in power
» 23.02.2010 - Journalist abducted in Somalia
» 17.02.2010 - Somali refugees moved to Ethiopia
» 08.02.2010 - Kenya dismiss reports on Somali army training
» 02.02.2010 - Somali militant group declares affiliation to al Qaeda
» 26.01.2010 - Official condemns Mogadishu bombing
» 20.01.2010 - Tighten controls on military assistance to Somalia - AI

Somalia
Politics | Health | Society

Somalia war attracts disease

afrol News/Destination Sante, 10 December - Somalia is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of cases of leishmaniasis, an infectious disease transmitted by bites from sand flies.

Within 12 months, the country’s only health centre, in Bakool in the south, has seen admissions for leishmaniasis rise from 140 to 980. This figure represents a worrying increase of 700%.

Marie-Eve Raguenaud of Médecins sans Frontières Belgium believed the figure is a tip of an iceberg, as there has been no epidemiological surveillance in the conflict-ravaged country.

"Our experience in the field leads us to believe that cases of leishmaniasis are being under-declared," Ms Raguenaud said.

The disease proves to be a real sword of Damocles hanging over the population of a country where health infrastructure has been ravaged by 15 years of civil war.

Without appropriate treatment, visceral leishmaniasis, one of the three clinical forms of the disease rife in Somalia, has a mortality rate of close to 100%. The situation is all the more serious as the country is already struggling with endemic tuberculosis and malnutrition made worse by the major drought of 2005 and 2006.


    E-mail this to a friend     Printable version

Related pages and feature
Current afrol News Top Stories
Somalia
Politics
Health
Society
Affairs
Democracy - Dictatorship
Diseases
People
War & Peace
» Egypt speculates over President's health
» Africa advised against coal power
» Uganda turning into an oil economy
» World longest toilet queue upcoming in Kenya
» Sierra Leone battles corruption
» Ethiopia commodity exchange sets example
» Nigeria Senate leader calls Gaddafi "mad man"
» Togo court confirms Faure re-election
» Swazi opposition asks for sanctions
» Election dates finally set for São Tomé


top of page about afrol News | news | countries | archive | services | feed back | español 

© afrol News. Reproducing or buying afrol News' articles.

   You can contact us at mail@afrol.com