Some 700 Colombian Soldiers Infected With Leishmaniasis

Some 700 Colombian soldiers infected with Leishmaniasis

BOGOTA, March 6 (Xinhua) — Some 700 Colombian soldiers are suffering from Leishmaniasis, a disease spread by sand flies, military officials said on Monday.

The soldiers are all from divisions serving in the rainforest regions of Caqueta, Meta and Putamayo, all in southern Colombia, said Colonel Jhon Jairo Ochoa Pinilla, head of the Silva Plazas group in Duitama municipality, northeastern Colombia.

Leishmaniasis is caused by Leishman protozoon. The main carrier is the sand fly, which spreads the disease when it bites an infected mammal and then goes on to bite a person. The disease can also be spread from mother to child, and through blood transfusions and infected needles.

About 250 of the infected soldiers are receiving medical treatment in Duitama, while another large group are recovering in Tolemaida Batallion, in the central Colombian department of Cundinamarca.

World Health Organization statistics show that the disease has hit 12 million people in 88 countries.