Treatment and Prevention

Of the wide variety of treatments for CL, few have proven consistently effective. Recent literature reviews provide comprehensive discussion of treatment options and the side effects of various drugs. Currently, antimony-based compounds are the drugs of choice for treatment of CL.

There is no approved or effective immunoprophylaxis, chemoprophylaxis, or vaccine against CL. Prevention entails protection against sand fly bites. Control measures in endemic areas are aimed at disrupting the enzootic cycle by eliminating mammalian reservoir hosts and eradicating the sand fly. Such control measures, however, are expensive, difficult to sustain, and potentially environmentally unsound.