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World Healt Organisation battling to control Afghan skin disease
The World Health Organisation says a disfiguring skin disease that has already affected thousands of Afghans could reach epidemic proportions.
W-H-O says 100-thousand people in Kabul already have the disease.
It has also been found in the cities of Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar as well as southern Pakistan, where more than 9,000 people had contracted it.
The disease is caused by a parasite transmitted by the sandfly.
W-H-O says the sting of the sandfly, which is three times smaller than a mosquito, can cause serious lesions in the skin and leave vivid marks, often on the face.
Although it is not life-threatening, the scars it leaves can cause severe disfiguration which can result in social stigmatisation.
W-H-O says controlling the disease is difficult because it has limited medical supplies.
05/05/2002 23:10:38 | ABC Radio Australia News
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