The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved new, shorter, and safer treatment guidelines for visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), significantly improving care for patients in Eastern Africa, including Kenya.

• The new regimen cuts the number of painful injections from 34 over 17 days to just 14, and reduces treatment for PKDL from months to a 14-day hospital stay followed by oral medication.
• WHO Director of Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases, Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, highlighted that these patient-friendly regimens accelerate the fight to eliminate the disease.
• Eastern Africa accounted for 79% of global kala-azar cases in 2024, with half of patients being children under 15, and the new treatment aligns with Kenya's goal to update its national protocols.