There are more than 600 species of phlebotomine sandflies, and only 30 of these are known vectors. Cutaneous leishmaniasis has been seen in American and Canadian troops coming back from Afghanistan. Means of Prevention
The sand fly stings mainly at night, and it usually occurs about half a meter above the ground (so sleeping on high beds can prevent infection). To avoid stinging, apply mosquito repellent, and cover the body.Studies conducted in recent years show that the plant Bougainvillea glabra may protect against the sand fly. The plant was found to be toxic to sand flies and that the life span of flies that ate from this plant was significantly shortened and sometimes led to their premature death before they could spread the disease.Hebrew University study found that some plants attract sand flies. These plants often attract sand flies up to 14 times more than Bougainvillea glabra, but unlike Bougainvillea glabra, are not toxic to the sand flies. Based on this information, the dispersion of sand flies can be controlled by limiting the growth of these plants near populated areas. Alternatively, these plants may serve to capture and control sand flies by using their odor compounds or the plants themselves alongside simple glue traps, or by spraying them with deadly pesticides for sand flies which are safe for humans and mammals (e.g., boric acid or spinosad) thereby stopping the spread of the disease. Of the dozens of plants examined, the three plants that attracted especially sand flies are the Ochradenus
baccatus, Prosopis farcta, and Tamarix nilotica.
The FDA also awarded the manufacturer a rare pediatric disease priority review voucher, and granted the approval of Zolgensma to AveXis Inc.In June 2015, the European Commission granted orphan designation for the drug. In July 2019, the drug was removed from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) accelerated assessment program.In May 2019, onasemnogene abeparvovec received US FDA approval as a treatment for children less than two years old. Since 2019, the treatment has been reimbursed in Israel and Qatar. In March 2020, onasemnogene abeparvovec was granted regulatory approval in Japan with the label identical to the US one. Also in March 2020, the European Medicines Agency recommended a conditional marketing authorization for use in people with SMA type 1 or with any SMA type and having no more than three copies of the SMN2 gene. In May 2020, Onasemnogene abeparvovec was conditionally approved in Europe.In August 2020, onasemnogene abeparvovec was granted regulatory approval in Brazil by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA).In December 2020, onasemnogene abeparvovec was approved for medical use in Canada.Onasemnogene abeparvovec was approved for medical use in Australia in February 2021.An official approval in Russia was granted in December 2021. Society and culture
Economics
The drug carries a list price of US$2.125 million per treatment, making it the most expensive medication in the world as of 2019.