Kenya might soon host a Tropical Medicine Research Centre to conduct studies on Leishmaniasis.
Leishmaniasis, also known as Kala-azar, is classified as a neglected tropical disease.
A team of leishmaniasis experts from Kenya, the US, Ethiopia and Sudan are in the country to implore the establishment of the centre that will aid in research in the Eastern Africa region.
Leishmaniasis is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies.
It is characterised by skin lesions, mainly ulcers on exposed parts of the body, leaving life-long scars and serious disability.
Kala-azar is a chronic and potentially fatal disease of the viscera (particularly the liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes).
It attacks vital organs leading to failure. If left untreated, it can lead to death within two years with a fatality rate of 95 per cent, mainly as a result of organ failure.
The project team led by Damaris Matoke from the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Abhay Satoskar from Ohio State University on Tuesday paid a courtesy call to KEMRI acting DG Elijah Songok to discuss the project.
“The five-year research funded by the National Institute of Health(NIH) includes the research to be done on epidemiology and vectors of visceral leishmaniasis,” Kemri said in a statement.
Kenya plans to reduce the number of cases of leishmaniasis in the country by at least 60 per cent and reduce the incidences of outbreaks by 50 per cent in the next five years.
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that the number of cases of the disease, also known as Kala-azar, rose from 907 in 2018 to 1,463 in 2019 before dropping to 1,200 in 2020.
Some of the counties affected include Marsabit, Mandera, Garissa, Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Isiolo, Wajir, Kitui, Nakuru and Nyandarua.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 90 per cent of new cases of kala-azar reported to WHO in 2019 occurred in 10 countries: Nepal, Iraq, Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
“The disease affects some of the world’s poorest people and is associated with malnutrition, poor housing, weak immune systems and lack of financial resources,” WHO says.
