Visceral leishmaniasis in the COVID-19 pandemic era

Abstract

Visceral l eishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, had once been targeted for elimination in 2020, which now has been shifted to 2030. The year 2020 was also the year in which the world was gripped by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This review sheds light on the impact of COVID-19 on VL elimination programmes and the increasing incidences of COVID-19/VL cases. Lockdowns were imposed worldwide that led to the suspension of surveys, active case finding and mass drug administration, which are important activities to manage neglected tropical diseases. Healthcare machinery was redirected to control the pandemic and acute resource shortages were seen. Budget cuts from funding agencies and donors also came as a severe blow. Priority changes for manufacturers of drugs and diagnostic kits have also exacerbated the situation. Cases where patients were co-infected with VL and COVID-19 were reported across various settings and in people of various age groups, posing unprecedented challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Concerted efforts from all stakeholders are required to understand and deal with the impact that this pandemic has had on VL.

Visceral Leishmaniasis in Immunocompetent Hosts in Brescia: A Case Series and Analysis of Cytokine Cascade

“…Rarely, some cases of Leishmania reactivation in immunocompetent patients have been described during the pandemic [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. However, there are discrepancies on the subject all over the world as another recent review does not describe any cases of VL related to SARS-CoV-2 infection [ 36 ].…”

The role of CD4+ T cells in visceral leishmaniasis; new and emerging roles for NKG7 and TGFβ

“…Factors behind the high outbreak potential include the conflict-driven migration of non-immune populations into endemic areas (Al-Salem et al, 2016), the emergence of VL in non-endemic areas by unknown means (Shrestha et al, 2019), and possible loss of herd immunity due to the declining number of cases in endemic regions (Rijal et al, 2019). In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent reallocation of public health resources has significantly hampered efforts to control VL (Uwishema et al, 2022;Paul and Singh, 2023), and areas that have successfully reduced their incidence rates below the elimination target may see a resurgence of cases that lead to the return of their VL endemic status (Toor et al, 2020). Therefore, continued vigilance and effort are required to secure current gains and progress towards eliminating VL as a disease of public health concern.…”

Next-Generation Leishmanization: Revisiting Molecular Targets for Selecting Genetically Engineered Live-Attenuated Leishmania

“…Present in 98 countries, threatening 350 million people at risk of infection, with 12 million infected people and 0.9 to 1.6 million new cases each year, leishmaniasis places among the global top ten neglected diseases, representing a serious worldwide public health problem [1]. It is noteworthy that these numbers could be under-reported, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic that affected the whole global primary health care system, interrupting the elimination program, and negatively impacting the diagnosis, treatment and control of the disease [2]. Transmitted by the bite of a female sand fly vector belonging to the Psychodidae family (Phlebotomus spp., Lutzomyia spp.…”