❖ The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new visceral leishmaniasis framework to guide to eradicate the disease in eastern Africa.

❖ Its targets include a 90 per cent reduction in VL incidence in the eastern Africa sub-region to fewer than 1,500 cases per year by 2030.

❖ It is called as kala-azar in Hindi, spreads through the bite of infected female sandflies and is endemic in 80 countries.

❖ In 2022, eastern Africa accounted for 73 per cent of global VL caseload, 50 per cent of which occurred in children aged under 15 years.

❖ Earlier, between 2004 and 2008, Bangladesh, India and Nepal collectively accounted for 70 per cent of the global caseload.

❖ In October 2023, WHO announced that Bangladesh had successfully eradicated VL – making it the first country in the world to achieve the landmark.