My Love/Hate Relationship with Leishmaniasis; a Flesh Eating Parasite

On a recent study abroad trip to Peru taken by Radford University students, four individuals were infected by Leishmania braziliensis, a cutaneous parasitic disease. These individuals and their doctors had difficulty identifying the cause of infection and treating the consequential lesions. Critical time was lost identifying their medical problem because students were unable to self-identify and clinicians were unsuspecting of the disease. The neglected tropical disease leishmaniasis affects more travelers as the climate changes, and as people with no immunity to the disease travel to places where it is endemic. They should be aware of the risk of traveling to these places and educated on the disease to receive quick and adequate care. I created an informational video about leishmaniasis which will share my story with the disease and provide risk management information to the public and people who could possibly be infected with the disease, especially travelers