A neglected tropical disease, kala azar is caused by a parasite, spread to humans through the bite of infected female sand flies. It attacks the immune system and is almost always fatal if not treated.
Also known as visceral leishmaniasis, kala azar is the most serious form of leishmaniasis and is endemic in 76 countries, with hundreds of millions at risk of infection. There are between 50,000 and 90,000 new cases a year, about 90 per cent of which occur in Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Between 1989 and 2020, MSF teams treated nearly 150,000 people for kala azar; over a third in South Sudan.
Diagnosis and treatment of the disease, especially of the variety found in eastern Africa, can be complex and painful.
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Better detection, diagnosis and treatment needed for neglected complication of kala azar in Bihar
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Access to kala azar treatment in public healthcare system needs to be scaled up
Clinical Epidemiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis in the Pokot Endemic Area of Uganda and Kenya
Five-Year Field Results and Long-Term Effectiveness of 20 mg/kg Liposomal Amphotericin B (Ambisome) for Visceral Leishmaniasis in Bihar, India
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Medical care in South Sudan's Batil camp
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Fighting Neglect: Finding ways to manage and control visceral leishmaniasis, human African trypanosomiasis and Chagas disease
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New MSF report highlights how to break cycle of neglect
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Combating tropical diseases: What is still missing
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MSF statement in response to Gilead donation of AmBisome for visceral leishmaniasis
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East African HIV programmes must wake up to visceral leishmaniasis
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Fighting kala azar in Bihar
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Kala Azar treatment brings lifelong immunity
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