Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is witnessing a significant increase of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases in Quetta, Balochistan. CL is one of the main neglected tropical diseases in Pakistan and it is a major public health concern in the country and in the province of Balochistan. “MSF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health runs three diagnosis and treatment center of CL in Quetta district in including Health Centre in Kuchlak, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Bolan Medical Complex, where there are currently 1,067 patients are on treatment,” Katrin Mielck, MSF project coordinator in Quetta said.
“In 2022 alone, our teams have screened 8,391 patients for CL and 4,678 people started their treatment in Quetta, while in total 11,424 people were screened and 6,688 patients were enrolled in the treatment in Khyber Pakhtunkwa and Balochistan,” he added. MSF is the largest healthcare provider of CL treatment in Balochistan province, and its services are completely free of cost.
“Considering a significant increase in patients, there is a need for widespread awareness on CL so that patients can prevent themselves from the bites of the sandfly, and the patients can seek early diagnosis and treatment,” Katrin Mielck, further said. “Moreover, it is essential that people can access to effective and safe treatment free of costs where they live in order to properly tackle the prevalence of the disease”. Indeed, despite the fact that CL is a curable disease, the treatment is not widely available in public healthcare facilities in the country, and it is often expensive.
The disease is caused by a parasite transmitted by the bite of a sandfly and appears in the form of a small lesion. Although CL is generally not life-threatening, it can cause severe physical disfigurement that could lead to stigmatization and discrimination, with deep psychological suffering. “Fellow students at school ask me questions and try to punch me in the nose. I have stopped going to school, I will return to school once my lesion has healed,” says Idrees, a 10-year-old receiving treatment at one of the MOH CL centres supported by MSF in Quetta, showing a lesion on the nose.
The MOH CL centres in Quetta, supported by MSF, provide diagnosis, specialized treatment, safe and effective medication, wound care, health education about the disease, its treatment and prevention. MSF also provides mental health support to the patients suffering from CL.
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