°®Âþµº

Ìýsuch asÌý, tuberculosis, and measles have returned to northern Syria, °®Âþµºâ€™s Arabic language sister siteÌýAl-Araby Al-JadeedÌýhasÌýreported, causing panic in camps.

A high population density in opposition areas of Idlib and Aleppo has ledÌýto a declineÌýin sanitary conditions, as Syrians living in overpopulated camps struggle to access clean water, soap, and health services.

"After the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, the waves of displacementÌýand the lack of attention to the environment and health awarenessÌýledÌýinsectsÌý[and disease] to spread,"ÌýReham Weiss, the health awareness officer at the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Sandflies, which populate polluted and swamp-like areas, are now abundant in northwest Syria. As a result, leishmaniasis - a parasitic diseaseÌý- hasÌýemerged.

Among those stung by the fly was seven-year-old Manal Al-Sheez.

"It disfigured her face and affected her psyche, she has not recovered yet despite becoming ill about two years ago," her mother told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Teacher Fatima Al-Saadi (a psuedonym) has stopped working in camps in the town of Tal Al-Karama and started home-schooling her daughter due to an outbreak of head lice among students.

"The mixing of children makes it more difficult to curb the spread of illnesses," Al-Saadi said.

Northern Syria has seen a growing number of measles cases, concentratedÌýin the Azaz area where 15 cases were detected in the last week of April alone.

There are also fears that tuberculosis (TB) is spreading in the region with the average number of monthly cases atÌýtreatment centres reaching 35, ÌýAl-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Weiss urged that preventive measures be implemented in camps this summer to prevent the situation from getting worse,Ìýsaying that insecticides should be used.

A lack of a clear mechanism for examining and diagnosing cases is an issue in the region, Weiss said.

High levels of displacement haveÌýmade it difficult to provide the necessary treatment to patients and followÌýup on activeÌýcases.

There are around 1,489 camps in northern Syria inhabited by roughlyÌý1.5 million IDPsÌýwho left their homes over the course of theÌý, which has killed over 500,000 people.

The conflict has brought health services across the countryÌýto the point of collapse, with hospitals barely functioning and many qualified doctors and nurses fleeing abroad.

Hospitals, clinics, and health workers have all been targeted by Russia and the Syrian regime throughout the war, compounding the crisis in the health sector.