By Samuel Kariuki, Eastern Africa Director, DNDi
As a scientist dedicated to neglected tropical diseases, I have noticed with concern the shifting patterns in the spread of visceral leishmaniasis (also known as kala-azar) in Kenya. Once confined to specific regions, this deadly parasitic disease has been spreading to previously unaffected counties.
It’s not just kala-azar that worries me; dengue and chikungunya, both mosquito-borne viral diseases, are making their way inland from their traditionally endemic coastal region. It is suspected that this shift is fuelled by climate change.
