Leishmaniasis is an illness that eats away at the flesh and in some cases causes death. The city of Raqqa in Islamist-held eastern Syria has been home to this disease since September 2013. Raqqa is the stronghold of ISIS in the country.

In northern and eastern parts of Raqqa, more than 2,500 cases of the disease have been recorded. Its spread has been prolific amongst the jihadists. The ISIS stronghold is on the verge of a true epidemic, even though the terrorist organization has been trying to stop the spread.