$3 million | UK’s Department for International Development | 2015–2017
Visceral leishmaniasis, also known as kala-azar, is a parasitic disease that afflicts many people in South Sudan. It is almost always fatal if not treated. Fever, weight loss, an enlarged spleen and liver and anemia are common signs of this disease, which is transmitted by the sandfly. With support from KalaCORE, a partnership dedicated to the control and elimination of kala-azar, IMA partners with Mott MacDonald to implement a kala-azar control program in South Sudan with the primary goal of scaling up access to lifesaving treatment and catalyzing the collaboration necessary to reduce the disease burden in East Africa.
The focus of the program includes improved diagnosis and effective treatment, building surveillance capacity and improving the ability to respond to outbreaks. IMA trains health workers, establishes emergency response teams, provides pharmaceuticals and supplies, re-activates previous kala-azar treatment centers destroyed during conflict and supports the Ministry of Health’s neglected tropical disease departments.
Key achievements (January-June 2016):
- 3,080 people participated in health education and community mobilization activities conducted by emergency teams during field visits
- 91 health workers in kala-azar endemic areas have been formally trained on kala-azar diagnosis and management in four training sessions in Juba