The Syrian Future Movement is closely following the initiative launched by the Aleppo Health Directorate on Saturday, June 6, 2026, to conduct a comprehensive health campaign under the slogan “Together to Combat Leishmaniasis.” This campaign, the first of its kind in the governorate in terms of its extensive coverage, targets Aleppo city and its surrounding countryside. It involves spraying homes and residential areas with specialized mobile teams to combat the sandfly that transmits the disease. The campaign also includes awareness and community outreach activities to promote prevention measures and early detection of infections, with the participation of several local and international organizations supporting the health sector.
Based on the Syrian Future Movement’s methodology of “supporting national solutions without endorsing any party unconditionally, and criticizing what threatens the state-building process without antagonism,” we issue this statement to assess this important step in the context of combating a widespread epidemic. We emphasize that its sustainability and development are the only way to achieve the desired results and protect the health of citizens.
First: The Syrian Future Movement recalls the worsening leishmaniasis crisis in Syria and warns of its health and social repercussions.
The Syrian Future Movement also points out that cutaneous leishmaniasis, known locally as “Aleppo boil,” is endemic in northwestern Syria, particularly in and around the city of Aleppo.
The disease has seen a sharp increase in cases since 2011, peaking in 2018 with 80,215 recorded cases.
According to Dr. Abdullah Abdul Bari, Head of the Public Health Programs Department, 25,000 cases were recorded in 2025, and more than 13,000 cases in just the first four months of 2026, an increase of over 25% compared to the previous year.
The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that these figures represent only a fraction of the reality, as many cases go unreported or unregistered, making the scale of the disaster much greater.
Secondly, the Syrian Future Movement commends the campaign, considering it a necessary and important step in the right direction to combat this epidemic. The Syrian Future Movement highly values this campaign, the first of its kind in terms of its extensive coverage in the province, which reflects a serious governmental commitment to addressing the chronic health problems left behind by the war waged by the former regime.
We commend the scientific methodology adopted by the campaign in selecting the targeted neighborhoods and homes, which is based on epidemiological mapping, entomological surveys, environmental assessments, and population density, along with the use of residual wall spraying, one of the most effective strategies globally for combating disease vectors.
We also commend the participation of local and international organizations and appreciate the Aleppo governor’s announcement of a comprehensive preventative program to combat the disease.
Third: The Syrian Future Movement reiterates its firm positions, published on its official website, supporting the protection of the environment and public health as a national responsibility. It reaffirms its continued commitment to this vision, citing the “Syrian Future Movement and the Environment” paper published on March 10, 2024, in which it emphasized that “environmental safety leads to the safety of citizens’ lives, their economy, and their health,” and called for “adherence to international laws and agreements related to the environment” and “pressuring the authorities to enact laws to protect it.”
Fourth: While the Syrian Future Movement appreciates this campaign, it reminds us that addressing the pandemic crisis requires more than limited initiatives and necessitates a comprehensive vision for the advancement of the entire health sector.
The head of the Public Health Programs Department pointed out that one of the most significant challenges is the cooperation of residents in spraying their homes, as some are refusing to do so. This highlights the importance of the role of awareness teams and visual media.
Based on this responsibility, the Syrian Future Movement recommends the following:
- Urging the central government and local councils to allocate sufficient budgets for public health, secure ample quantities of safe insecticides, medicines, and medical equipment, and strengthen volunteer teams and mobile units to ensure the campaign’s continuity and expansion to include all affected areas.
- Launching intensive awareness campaigns in schools, universities, media outlets, and community centers to educate the public about the causes of the disease, its transmission methods, and prevention strategies, and to remove the social stigma surrounding infection. This will ensure greater public cooperation and remove obstacles hindering the work of specialized teams.
- Addressing the root causes of the disease’s spread, such as high temperatures, accumulated waste, and dilapidated sewage systems. The Syrian Future Movement had previously warned of the worsening of these conditions, describing them as “fertile ground for the proliferation of insects and rodents,” in its earlier statement on the waste crisis in Aleppo. This can be achieved by improving infrastructure, waste management services, and water sources, in accordance with World Health Organization recommendations.
- Developing an effective health system for the immediate registration, monitoring, and investigation of leishmaniasis cases is crucial to enabling rapid interventions in outbreak areas. This system should also focus on training and developing medical personnel in diagnosis and treatment, contributing to the formulation of policies based on accurate information.
The Syrian Future Movement welcomes this important step, which demonstrates the Syrian government’s commitment to addressing the disastrous legacy of the previous regime’s healthcare system.
We believe the government is now called upon to capitalize on this momentum and prevent its dissipation by transforming this campaign into a permanent and sustainable national program to combat leishmaniasis.
The Syrian Future Movement will remain a supporter, critic, and monitor of this issue, striving to build a new Syria on the foundations of health and human dignity.
