#mucocutaneous leishmaniasis

Finished coloured pencil illustration - portrait of a man with leishmaniasis - by @claire_carswell

This is mucocutaneous leishmaniasis - a neglected tropical disease caused by the trypanosome parasite Leishmania, spread through sandfly bites. There are different types of leishmaniasis, ranging from mostly cutaneous presentations, to visceral leishmaniasis - which causes liver failure and death. This disease is treatable, but because the vast majority of people who are impacted by it live in incredibly impoverished areas, too many people are disfigured, disabled or killed by it.