WHO guidelines on leishmaniases: treatment of visceral leishmaniasis and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in eastern Africa and South-East Asia

The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its guidelines for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in eastern Africa and South-East Asia. Eastern Africa is the most severely affected region, accounting for 73% of globally reported VL cases in 2023. VL is endemic in several countries across this subregion, including Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda, all of which are caused by infection with Leishmania donovani.

VL can be fatal if not treated promptly. The new guidelines include an updated safety profile for miltefosine, a proposed risk-mitigation measure for ocular adverse events, new treatment regimens for PKDL, alternative treatment options for primary VL in eastern Africa, guidance on managing VL relapse in South-East Asia, and weight-band-based allometric dosing of miltefosine.

The guidelines are intended for clinicians, managers of national leishmaniasis control programmes, policy-makers, and partners working in endemic countries.

Brief written by urgent.news from WHO Africa's own syndicated text. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.