US soldiers in Iraq hit by parasite

By Patrick Moser
MORE than 650 US troops deployed in Iraq have been infected with a fly-borne parasite that causes chronic, festering sores, officials said at a health conference in Miami.

About 660 soldiers were found to have contracted the leishmaniasis parasite since US troops launched operations in Iraq in March 2003, Colonel Naomi Arenson, an expert on the disease at the Walter Reed Army Medical Centre, said.

The cases found in Iraq are all of cutaneous leishmaniasis, which is seldom lethal, and usually heals over time but can leave significant scarring.

If left untreated, simple skin sores in rare cases can spread to the nose and mouth.

The number of victims was likely to rise in coming weeks, she told AFP on the sidelines of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's annual conference.

"This is about the season when we start seeing cases," she said.

She nevertheless expects the number of new cases to drop as a result of better troop facilities, including air-conditioned barracks sealed to keep out flies, as well as education on the risks of diseases.

Since the parasite causes open sores the main risk is that victims could suffer secondary infections, Colonel Arenson said.

Caution was particularly important in the field, where troops often cannot bathe regularly.

She said the parasite's presence also affects morale, with soldiers worried at "the concept of having parasites in their bodies".

The most severe cases from Iraq are sent to the Walter Reed hospital, just outside Washington, for treatment. But US forces have recently set up facilities for basic treatment in Baghdad and Kuwait.

Experts discussing the disease in Miami disagreed on how to treat specific cases, or even whether they should just let the disease run its course.

They did agree more research was needed to find an affordable and simple treatment.

Leishmaniasis is spread by infected sand-flies, and is endemic in some tropical and subtropical areas including Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

Colonel Arenson said fewer than 10 cases had been recorded among US troops in Afghanistan.

So far there have been no reports of US troops in Iraq or Afghanistan being infected with visceral leishmaniasis, which can cause severe damage to some of the body's internal organs, including the spleen, liver and bone marrow.

Melbourne Hearald Sun (Australia)
November 11, 2004