Setting the Post-Elimination Agenda for Kala-Azar in India (SPEAK India)

The governments of India, Bangladesh and Nepal have set 2017 as the target year for visceral leishmaniasis (VL) elimination as a public health problem (defined as <1 case/10,000 people at the sub-district/block level) from the Indian subcontinent. To date, Bangladesh and Nepal are on track to meet this aim, however blocks in India (notably those north of the Ganges in Bihar state) are not, and others (particularly in southern Bihar state) are currently experiencing a resurgence in disease incidence.    

To identify the additional knowledge required to ensure the VL elimination target is met and sustained, the Setting the Post-Elimination Agenda for Kala-Azar in India (SPEAK India) consortium has been established. SPEAK India brings together scientific, practical and logistics experts to analyse new and existing data, develop protocols, actions and methodologies, and formulate the research questions that need to be addressed for sustainable VL elimination to be achieved.