Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to eradicate visceral leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar), at an event organised by the African Union and World Health Organization (WHO). The event was held on the sidelines of 78th World Health Assembly being held in Geneva.
Kala-azar, caused by a parasite, is one of the neglected tropical diseases (NTD) with a high fatality rate. While it has been contained to a large extent globally, a major burden of the disease is now borne by east African countries.
NTDs are a WHO-defined group of diseases that mostly impact the underprivileged sections of the population in tropical regions. They pose a public health challenge due to their complex, weather-associated epidemiology that makes them more difficult to control.
The symptoms of the disease include fever, extreme fatigue, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement. It can be fatal if not treated. "Over 70% of the global burden is in the Eastern African region, where half of affected people are children under 15," non-profit medical research organisation Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) noted in a press statement.
DNDi supported the event during which the MoU was signed.
The signatory countries agreed to ramp up investment towards eliminating kala-azar. They will also come up with effective strategies to tackle the public health concern within their regions.
Luis Pizarro, executive director of DNDi, stressed on the need for new and improved oral treatments for kala-azar patients and affected communities. "To reach elimination, we need more medical innovation," he said, adding that the success in South Asia towards this goal exemplifies the role of collaborative strategies.
In June 2024, the countries in east Africa developed a framework to eliminate the disease. The MoU also focused on its targets and how the signatory countries can achieve those within the stipulated timeframe.
Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania also joined the signatory countries to help improve cross-border cooperation in tackling other NTDs through concerted efforts.
DNDi acknowledged the progress made worldwide to tackle NTDs in the last decade. "As of May 2025, 56 countries have eliminated at least one NTD globally, including Togo (four NTDs) and Benin, Ghana and India (three NTDs)."
In 2024 and 2025, many other African countries successfully eliminated one or two NTDs, according to WHO. Mauritania, Chad, Guinea and Niger are the latest among them.
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.Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC
He highlighted the role of surveillance platforms like the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response framework in improving cross-border monitoring of NTDs.
Cooperation is of utmmost importance when it comes to tackling NTDs because many of them are interconnected, being transmitted by wildlife and aided by climate change. "The Call for Action therefore urges endemic countries to work closely together on region-specific strategies, share information and data with their neighbours, and jointly plan and implement health policies," DNDi wrote in the statement.