The number of cases diagnosed with leishmaniasis across Libya has increased to 5,000, Director General of the National Center for Disease Control Badr al-Din Najjar said on Friday.
He added that around 5,000 medicines are needed to fight the disease, according to his statement.
Efforts have been exerted since leishmaniasis began to spread in Libya due to the poor infrastructure caused by the war.
Ministry of Health of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) announced on Tuesday that the second shipment of leishmaniasis medicines will arrive in Libya by the end of this week.
The shipment comes from Europe and complies with the Libyan standards, the ministry said in a Monday statement.
“A previous Indian shipment channeled through the Foreign Ministry, consisting of around 95 injections for the treatment of Leishmania was rejected,” the ministry added.
The statement explained that the medicines were unsuitable for human consumption and did not comply with standards.
This came after several complaints had been issued due to the spread of cases as around 290 cases diagnosed leishmaniasis with are found only in Bani Walid, and no medicines are available in the northwestern town to treat them.
Leishmaniasis is spreading rapidly in Libyan cities. The World Health Organization (WHO) considered leishmaniasis to be a public health problem in Libya, noting that the outbreak of the disease was reported among internally displaced persons from Tawergha, after their return to their city.
