Transmission+-+Leishmanisis

Leishmaniasis is spread through the bite of a female sandfly, which are part of the genus //Phlebotomus//. There are many subspecies of sandflies that can transmit the disease. The parasite they carry is part of the genus //Leishmania//. Below is a Leishmaniasis-infected sandfly:

Leishmaniasis is primarily zoonotic, transmitted from infected sandfly to person. However, there are some forms of the disease that can be spread by human contact through blood transfusion and sexual contact, but it is very rare. Currently the WHO is working on targeting this problem in Afghanistan, which would cost approximately $1.2 million to control the epidemic in Afghanistan. Little is known about specifically where and why the disease is most prevalent; basically, in these specified regions, there is sand, which causes a high likelihood of running into these species of infected sandflies.