Being bitten on the butt by an insect can be beneficial to health

A research project carried out by a student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences from Hadassah Academic College in Jerusalem regarding the development of a new method to exterminate the sand fly that transmits the disease Leishmaniasis (known as Jericho Rose Disease) and in the process made a surprising discovery

 Hadassah College press release

A research project carried out by a student in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences from the Hadassah Academic College in Jerusalem regarding the development of a new method to exterminate the sand fly that transmits the disease Leishmaniasis (known as Jericho Rose Disease) in Kfar Adumim and the Jordan Valley discovered during the fieldwork that the Bedouins intentionally expose the naked buttocks of their babies at night summers to encourage them to be bitten by the sand fly. According to the tradition of the Bedouin, the scientific fact was discovered that in some cases a child who is bitten by a sandfly and gets stuck in one place on his body, acquires immunity for life and will never get sick again. A sting in the buttock guarantees the prevention of the typical round ulcer wound, called the rose of Jericho, which is sometimes seen on the faces of Bedouins and immigrants from Iraq, which is also an area where the disease is common.
According to the reports of the Ministry of Health, the disease is common in the Dead Sea, Jericho, Jordan Valley, Kinneret and Araba areas. Every year, dozens of cases are reported, including some severe cases, but there are probably many more cases among the Bedouins that are not reported.

Hanan Goldberger, a student finishing his studies in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Hadassah Academic College in Jerusalem, carried out his final project with the aim of developing a new method for capturing and destroying the female sand fly that stings and spreads the disease. based on attracting the female fly that stings and spreads the disease from the traps that emit carbon dioxide - CO2. The effectiveness of this original method was tested under the guidance of Dr. Rami Fedhzor from the college, Dr. Laor Orshan, director of the entomological laboratory of the Ministry of Health, and Mr. David Skelley, who is responsible for pest control from the ministry for the protection of the environment.

The goal of the project was to find new methods for exterminating the sand fly that carries Leishmania disease, focusing on baits that will form the basis for attraction and then extermination. Leishmania, popularly called the "Jericho rose" is a disease caused by a single-celled Leishmania parasite and transmitted by the sand fly - phlobotomus. The bite of a female sandfly introduces a parasite into the human or animal skin, and a few months later, at the end of the incubation period of the disease, external symptoms appear in the form of open sores at the point of the bite. Leishmania disease has no cure yet, but after the disease appears once, it will not appear a second time, because the body develops protection against the parasite. The main problem is the inefficiency of the pest control method used today. According to the results of the experiments, it was found that sandflies attracted to CO2 traps compared to their attraction to light traps and different plants. The researcher recommends that a sand fly trap based on CO2 emission throughout the night should be developed as an effective method to exterminate the sand fly.

Hanan Goldberger, who recently returned to the IDF for a position responsible for environmental education in the IDF, is one of the 20 students who have now completed their academic studies to receive a graduate degree in environmental health sciences, which is a unique degree of its kind in Israel, approved by the Higher Education Council.
A third of the graduating students are candidates for graduate studies in environmental sciences at various universities across the country, and among the rest there are those who have already been hired in the field or are negotiating for jobs in the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, local authorities, schools, industries and the IDF.

Prof. Hillel Shovel, head of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Hadassah College, who is considered a pioneer and founder of the environmental health profession in Israel, reports that the inclusion of the requirement to carry out a final project on various topics in environmental health in collaboration with government ministries and industries is unique and has a double advantage, the students acquire practical experience in carrying out Research and field projects, and in addition - they make contact with institutions that can be jobs upon receiving the degree. Currently, 65 students are studying for an Environmental Health Sciences degree at Hadassah College.