A Health Smart Digital Advisory System for Visceral Leishmaniasis Preparedness in Kenya

In Kenya, Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the severe form of leishmaniasis, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) of public health concern. VL is transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies and is fatal if not treated. VL outbreaks have become recurrent (2008-2019) in arid and semi-arid areas. New foci of the disease have been reported (e.g. Kajiado county) with sporadic cases in Kitui and Tharaka Nithi counties indicating an expanding geographic spread. The trend is exacerbated by poor surveillance, diagnosis, and knowledge about the drivers of disease transmission to accurately predict the spread and respond to infections or outbreaks in a timely manner. We propose innovative technologies (described in Section A-3), that will enhance preparedness and case management, foster advocacy and partnerships, and enable better risk management to support existing VL management and elimination strategies. These interventions can be scaled to other endemic regions.