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ISIS spreads flesh-eating disease throughout Syria

Humanitarian group the Kurdish Red Crescent blames ISIS for the flesh-eating disease spreading through Syria.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Leishmaniasis disease has been spreading through Syria following ISIS' dumping of corpses in the country's streets.

Human rights workers report over 500 cases of the disease in the past year, with Dilqash Isa, a Kurdish Red Crescent member, saying, "As a result of abominable acts by ISIS that included the killing of innocent people and dumping their corpses in streets, this is the leading factor behind the rapid spread of Leishmaniasis disease."

The first case of the disease, which is caused by protozoan parasites and spread by over 20 different parasites, was reported in September 2013.

Leishmaniasis can leave ulcers on exposed skin, disfigurement, permanent scarring, stigma and disability, with more severe cases leading to death if left untreated. The most destructive form of the disease eats away at the mucus membranes of the nose, mouth, and throat. 

Humanitarian groups blame ISIS' habit of leaving bodies in the streets for the decline in Syria's health system, while the World Health Organization (WHO) blames the civil war for the country's detriment.

WHO believes the civil war led to the collapse of medical services, leaving 13 million Syrians in need of help. In one official statement, WHO declared, "Despite our best efforts, health needs are escalating, and more than four years of crisis is causing the Syrian health system to deteriorate.

"We're seeing increasing trauma cases, rising mental health needs, reproductive health issues and both communicable and non-communicable diseases. A cholera outbreak has arisen in neighboring Iraq - reminding us all that disease outbreaks have a tendency to afflict countries already afflicted by protracted crises.

"WHO is prepositioning medical supplies and putting preparedness measures in place to forestall potential spread into Syria."

According to the Organization, 58 percent of Syria's public hospitals have been partially or fully destroyed. Sadly, ISIS is not entirely to blame for the destruction of the hospitals, as twelve hospitals were hit by Russian airstrikes in October.

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