Process of validation of elimination of kala-azar as a public health problem in South-East Asia

Overview

In the WHO South-East Asia Region, kala-azar (KA) or visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is predominantly endemic in Bangladesh, India and Nepal with sporadic cases reported from Bhutan and Thailand. In 2005, a programme was launched to eliminate KA as a public health problem, setting a target of 1 KA case per 10 000 at the sub-district levels in Bangladesh and India, and the district level in Nepal. Nepal is maintaining this target for the last three years (since 2014), with other endemic countries in the Region close to achieving the target. In order to assess progress towards the achievement of the elimination target by the Member States, a formal process needs to be put into place to validate the elimination of KA as a public health problem. This document describes the process and steps that will be followed to validate the elimination of kala-azar as public health problem.