| dc.identifier.citation | Marangu, V. M., Muchiri, E. M., & Kagendo, D. (2025). Policy Imperatives for Curbing the Rising Burden of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Kenya. Journal of Medicine, Nursing and Public Health, 5(2), 10- 18. | en_US |
| dc.description.sponsorship | Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) also known as Kala-azar is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) that poses an increasing public health threat in Kenya’s Arid and Semi-arid Lands (ASALs). This ecological zone extends across borders into neighboring countries including Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Uganda. Despite substantial advances in the understanding and management of Visceral Leishmaniasis including improved diagnostics, treatment options, and insights into sandfly vectors, the prevalence of the disease in Kenya continues to rise with new endemic foci increasingly being identified. The persistence and reemergence of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) are driven by multiple interrelated factors including climate change, weak health systems, population mobility due to insecurity and recurrent conflicts, inadequate vector control measures, and widespread poverty among vulnerable and marginalized communities. Moreover, existing health and environmental policies insufficiently incorporate Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) control into the broader development agendas of the affected regions. Notably, there is a lack of explicit multidisciplinary and multisectoral strategies as well as suboptimal community engagement and participation in public health initiatives specifically targeting VL. The constitutional devolution of health services to county governments along with the recent implementation of Kenya’s Social Health Policy Initiative presents a realistic opportunity for high-risk ASAL counties to prioritize promotive and preventive health services to vulnerable groups. This can be effectively advanced through grassroots community health promotion programs, multisectoral collaboration, and broader health system strengthening interventions. This brief communication examines policy opportunities within Kenya’s response to Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), offers practical recommendations, and advocates for accelerated adoption and sustained ownership of integrated, multisectoral disease control strategies by national and county governments to eliminate VL as a public health threat. | en_US |
