Six African countries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, one of the world’s deadliest yet most neglected tropical diseases.
The agreement, signed by Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan, was formalised on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva during a ceremony convened by the African Union and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The MoU sets the stage joint investment of resources for disease control, and development of effective strategies at the regional level and close collaboration to achieve the targets outlined in the visceral leishmaniasis elimination framework launched by Eastern African countries in June 2024.
“As the global community reaches the half-way point towards the roadmap targets and almost one year after we launched a strategic framework for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis, the critical role of country-led efforts and cross-border collaboration in accelerating elimination cannot be over emphasised,” said Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, Director of the WHO Global Neglected Tropical Diseases Programme.
Kala-azar, which causes prolonged fever, extreme fatigue, weight loss, and organ damage, is fatal if untreated.
It ranks as the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria, with over 70% of the global burden in Eastern Africa—where children under 15 make up half of those affected.
During the event Ministers of Health from Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria also issued a ‘Call for Action’ to eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) in general.
“We know that diseases do not stop at borders and neither should our response. More than 600 million people on our continent remain at risk of at least one of the neglected tropical diseases,” said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC in a statement read by Dr Landry Tsague Dongmo, Director of Africa CDC’s Center for Primary Health Care.
NTDs, many of which are transmitted by animals or insects, are increasingly spreading due to climate change and population movements.
Experts at the meeting stressed that collaborative surveillance, data-sharing, and region-specific health policies are critical to tackling the interconnected threats posed by these diseases.
WHO noted that 56 countries have now eliminated at least one NTD.
In Africa, recent progress includes Mauritania, Chad, Guinea, and Niger, which were recognized for eliminating at least one NTD in 2024 and 2025.
‘Visceral leishmaniasis patients and their communities urgently need new, improved oral treatments. To reach elimination, we need more medical innovation. The recent successes of South Asian countries, such as Bangladesh, in eliminating kala-azar show that global elimination of this dreadful disease is within our reach, and I would like to commend the inspiring leadership, unity, and commitment shown today by our African partners,’ said Dr Luis Pizarro, Executive Director of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
