According to Dehghani, Leishmaniasis (a.k.a. "jihadist disease") is one of the so-called "neglected tropical diseases" (NTDs) that haunts the poorest populations of tropical countries. Its spread is tightly connected to the living conditions and when they worsen drastically, for example as the result of war, an epidemic can break out, like what happened in Syria and Iraq. Thus it is not actually directly connected to the Daesh, especially considering the Iranian origins of the strain. But their actions did play a role in the outbreak.
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The infection occurs mostly via bites from sandflies, but can also be carried by dogs and rodents, warns the doctor. The key symptoms are stomach ache, fever, skin flaking, fragility of hair and weight loss.
Dehghani gives several basic pieces of advice to avoid infection — maintaining good hygiene and using anti-mosquito screens and insect repellents. He also warns that it is necessary to treat dogs and rodents, as they may also carry the disease.
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According to the doctor, in case of infection, cold should be applied to all ulcers until they are well cooled and medication must be administered as soon as possible. But the best course of action is vaccination, notes the doctor.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia
