William leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis can affect the spleen, liver, and bone marrow. It can also cause low red blood cell count, low white blood cell count, and low platelet count.

Leishmaniasis is normally spread via the bite of a female sandfly in areas where Leishmaniasis is endemic.

Leishmaniasis is also spread by blood transfusion, sharing needles, sexually and congenitally.

The Leishmaniasis parasite has been proven to survive in stored blood for at least 30 days which is why the US Military and the CDC have a ban on donating blood for one year for persons returning from endemic countries, to include Iraq and Afghanistan.

sandfly

At any one time, about 20 million people throughout the world are infected with leishmaniasis. Between one million and one and one-half million cases of cutaenous leishmaniasis are reported yearly worldwide.