Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a systemic protozoan disease that is transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. Poor and neglected populations in East Africa and the Indian sub-continent are particularly affected. Early and accurate diagnosis and treatment remain key components of VL control. In addition to improved diagnostic tests, accurate and simple tests are needed to identify treatment failures. Miltefosine, paromomycin and liposomal amphotericin B are gradually replacing pentavalent antimonials and conventional amphotericin B as the preferred treatments in some regions, but in other areas these drugs are still being evaluated in both mono- and combination therapies. New diagnostic tools and new treatment strategies will only have an impact if they are made widely available to patients.

Author affiliations

1. Travel and Migration Medicine Unit, Geneva University Hospitals, 24 rue Micheli-du-Crest, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
2. Médecins san Frontieres, Swiss Section, rue de Lausanne, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland.
3. Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
4. Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, PO Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
5. UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/ WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
6. Department of Medicine, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
7. Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, Communicable Diseases Cluster, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
8. Unit of Epidemiology, Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.

Correspondence to: François Chappuis^1,2 Email: francois.chappuis@hcuge.ch
Copyright © WHO, on behalf of TDR (WHO/TDR) 2007.