01770nas a2200181   4500000000100000008004100001260003400042653002400076653005700100653002100157653001700178100001100195700001200206245005600218856010400274520118500378022002501563       2022                            d  bOxford University Press (OUP)10aInfectious Diseases10aPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health10aGeneral Medicine10aParasitology1 aPaul A1 aSingh S00aVisceral leishmaniasis in the COVID-19 pandemic era  uhttps://academic.oup.com/trstmh/advance-article-pdf/doi/10.1093/trstmh/trac100/46632523/trac100.pdf3 a<p>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.</p>
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