Visceral leishmaniasis is a serious public health problem in the Indian subcontinent, which is responsible for high morbidity and mortality. The government had launched a visceral leishmaniasis elimination initiative in 2005. This article provides an excerpt of the personal opinion published in The Lancet, addressing the challenges in elimination of visceral leishmaniasis in the Indian subcontinent. Visceral leischmaniasis is ranked second in mortality and fourth in morbidity in tropical diseases with 20,000-40,000 deaths occurring annually.
Over 90% of visceral leishmaniasis cases are reported in India, Bangladesh, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethopia, and Brazil. In 2005, the governments of India, Bangladesh, and Nepal launched a regional initiative to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis by 2015. Although substantial progress was made, the elimination was not achieved. This article reviews the…
