WHO is and has been making efforts to coordinate and provide support to strengthen leishmaniasis control in various countries in the Maghreb, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Leishmaniasis control, however, is facing several challenges that require additional efforts and enhanced collaboration to improve data sharing, cross border issues and monitoring the impact of interventions.
During the last meetings held in Morocco and Turkmenistan with representatives from the endemic countries the participants proposed to establish an informal network to improve the control of leishmaniasis and curb its spread1. The meeting participants strongly requested WHO to lead and coordinate the network and the cross-border collaborative efforts.
Through the newly established network participants agreed to make a concerted effort, among other, in the following areas:
- To create a global surveillance system, including mapping/GIS, allowing regular epidemiological data sharing and monitoring the disease trend.
- To address cross border issues, with special focus on displaced populations.
- To assess the leishmaniasis baseline situation by establishing the disease burden in each country.
- To prevent and decrease disease impact through standardized case management and disease control measures.
The WHO-coordinated network brings together national leishmaniasis control programmes, groups developing new tools to fight the disease, international and non-governmental organizations and donors.
The network is expected to benefit countries in sharing of surveillance information, identify risk areas and aggravating factors, sharing of regional experts for capacity building activities and for epidemiological assessments.
The network is open to other endemic countries who did not take part in the meetings.
1The meetings took place in Casablanca, Morocco on 23–24 June 2014 and in Awaza, Turkmenistan on 18 – 20 November 2014 with representatives from Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Morocco, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.