More than 400 Leishmaniasis cases reported in Morocco’s Zagora province

More than 400 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis have been reported in Morocco’s southeastern Zagora province, prompting calls from civil society groups for urgent medical intervention and measures to contain the disease.

The outbreak has particularly affected Fezouata and Tamekroute in Zagora province, as well as El Jorf in neighboring Errachidia province. The Friends of the Environment association warned that children are among those infected and that a shortage of doctors could further complicate the situation.

Leishmaniasis is transmitted through the bite of infected sand flies. Its cutaneous form causes skin sores and ulcers that can leave permanent scars, while other forms of the disease can affect internal organs.

The association said the presence of rodents, accumulated waste and polluted areas contributes to conditions that favor the spread of sand flies.

Civil society groups call for urgent intervention

Jamal Akchbab, head of the Friends of the Environment association, told Hespress AR that the region experienced a similar outbreak in the mid-2000s. At the time, coordinated efforts by health and agricultural services, local authorities, elected councils and civil society organizations helped contain the disease and reduce infections.

Akchbab said the current situation requires urgent measures to treat patients, disinfect affected areas and eliminate rodent burrows.

He linked the spread in Zagora to pools and small lakes formed after heavy summer rainfall, saying sand flies in these areas can transmit the parasite from rodents to humans. He also noted that some residents sleep on rooftops during the summer.

Akchbab warned that delays in intervention could lead to further infections, particularly following heavy rainfall in recent days that may have created additional breeding sites for sand flies.

The association is calling for an emergency response plan involving medical and nursing teams to diagnose and treat patients, monitor their condition and reinforce healthcare services in affected communities.

It has also urged authorities to organize field campaigns to control rodent and sand fly populations, clean polluted areas, and carry out disinfection operations. The association further called for disease-prevention measures and awareness campaigns, particularly in schools.

Concerns over outbreak in Errachidia

The situation in El Jorf, in Errachidia province, is similarly serious, according to Younes Kadiri, a member of the administrative committee of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights and its local branch.

Kadiri held local authorities and relevant public services responsible for allowing the disease to spread, arguing that its causes and transmission factors are well known and that preventive action could have been taken before infections reached their current level.

He said the local health center lacks the capacity to handle the number of patients, with some residents reportedly avoiding it because of lengthy waiting times.

Kadiri called on the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to intervene urgently, ensure the availability of necessary medicines and treatments, and deploy sufficient numbers of doctors and nurses.

He also urged local authorities and the ministries responsible for agriculture, fisheries and food sovereignty to address sources of transmission, particularly sand flies and rodents. He stressed the need for cleaning and disinfection campaigns along lake and riverbanks.

Warning that infections could continue to rise without prompt intervention, Kadiri pointed to the current flow of rivers in the area as an additional concern.

He added that residents were considering staging protests over the situation, either in El Jorf or outside the regional health and social protection directorate.