Questions to Donald Rumsfeld on Sand Fly Disease-Leishmania

[BrklynLiberal]

Below are two letters sent by Rania Milleron, Ph.D. to Secretary Donald Rumsfield concerning Sandfly disease - Leishmania - this is an illness that afflicts hundreds of Gulf War veterans and has the potential to threaten the blood supply. Dr. Milleron wrote Rumsfeld a year ago about this with no response. She wrote to him again recently.
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As you are well aware leishmaniasis is a problem for the United State military. Over 600 U.S. troops sent to Southwest/Central Asia were infected by Leishmania parasites, transmitted by blood sucking sand flies endemic to that region and many other parts of the world. By February, 2004 soldiers were diagnosed with the cutaneous form of the disease producing painful disfiguring skin lesions; but Leishmania can also produces visceral disease. Both forms of the disease can result in significant morbidity and visceral disease can be fatal.

Currently there is no vaccine available to prevent leishmaniasis, no truly safe and effective chemotherapy, and no practical method to control the sand fly insect vector of the reservoir hosts of infection. Tropical disease not only put soldiers unnecessarily in harms way but they also disrupt military missions.

Moreover, the potential of parasites like Leishmania to enter our nation's blood supply is real according to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the nation's largest association of blood banks. In this age of world travel America is not prepared for leishmaniasis and it is paramount that the U.S. government protect our public's health.

Therefore, this letter is to urge you to increase funding for tropical infectious disease research. Support for medical research at the highest levels, such as the National Institutes of Health, will ensure that our troops have access to safe and efficacious vaccines and drugs which will help in both the treatment and most importantly prevention of infectious diseases that threaten American military personnel and other innocent peoples.
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http://democracyrising.us/content/view/173/164/

[beam me up scottie]

1. jesus

anybody have any idea how many, if any, times this disease was transmitted in the u.s.?

[bemildred]

2. The premise is wrong, Rumsfeldt doesn't give a shit about the soldiers. nt