Two American hostages freed yesterday by Colombian rebels are suffering from the jungle malady leishmaniasis, says the US Ambassador. The hostages were freed yesterday in the much celebrated liberation of former French presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt. The hostages were kept deep in the rain forest, where they contracted the jungle malady Leishmaniasis.
The jungle malady Leishmaniasis is caused by parasites that inject their offspring promastigotes into the bloodstream while biting human flesh. These then grow within the body. Depending on the penetration of the parasites, the jungle malady Leishmaniasis effects can range from tissue damage, to leprosy-like skin lesions, to organ damage and death.
The jungle malady Leishmaniasis is also known as black fever or the Baghdad Boil, and was named for Scottish scientist William Boog Leishman in 1901.
Poor sanitation can also contribute to the spread of the jungle malady Leishmaniasis, which afflicts about 200,000 people in the Afghan city of Kabul.
There are several drug therapies effective in treating the jungle malady Leishmaniasis.