Blood Parasite Dogs Iraq GIs

[dArKeR]

Soldiers who served in Iraq will not be allowed to give blood for a year after returning home, because of a rare skin parasite that has infected 22 members of the military, federal health officials said Thursday.

The disease, called leishmaniasis, is spread by sand flies and can cause itchy skin lesions. A more serious form, so far caught by none of the soldiers, can cause death. Since August of last year, 18 members of the military have caught the parasite in Iraq, plus two each in Kuwait and Afghanistan.

The Pentagon estimated the potential loss of blood donors at more than 12,000 people. But many of the servicemen would not have been allowed to donate anyway because they were in areas where malaria is endemic. Donation bans were already in place for soldiers returning from Kuwait and Afghanistan.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/23/iraq/main579735.shtml

[DemBones DemBones]

1. Leishmaniasis is not rare, as the article says,

and later in the article the writer changes her mind and writes:

"The parasite is common in parts of central and southern Asia and infects more than 1.5 million people a year. The small, circular lesions are painless but can leave scars."

Americans are lucky to have less exposure to parasites than most of the rest of the world. But then again, we have Republicans, don't we?