Abstract: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is one of the the most reported communicable diseases in Syria. Without early diagnosis and treatment, the disease can cause permanent stigmatizing disfigurement, with prolonged physical and psychosocial impact. The current conflict in Syria is propagating an epidemic, as it exacerbates spread of the disease whilst limiting access to effective diagnosis and treatment. This talk will describe the spread of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the context of the Syrian conflict, the challenges faced in controlling the disease and how the MENTOR initiative is tackling these challenges to implement large scale control programmes within the country. It will also touch on some alarming new evidence that visceral leishmaniasis may be more widespread in Syria than previously believed.
Biography: After completing an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases at LSHTM, Alice Cowley moved from clinical nursing into public health and has since worked in this field both in the UK and internationally. Alice currently works with The MENTOR Initiative, which is a UK based NGO specialising in vector borne and neglected disease control in hard to reach communities and humanitarian emergencies. Now an HQ based programme manager, Alice has most recently managed NTD programmes in Angola, an Ebola response in Libera and is currently managing the MENTOR Initiative’s leishmaniasis programme in Syria. She also provides technical disease control advice and management for all the organisation’s international programmes.
You can watch this seminar on Panopto here.
