Visceral leishmaniasis, commonly known as kala-azar, is a parasitic disease caused by infection with Leishmania parasites. According to the Centres for Disease Control, these parasites are transmitted to humans through the bite of infected sandflies.

The disease often presents with symptoms that can be mistaken for a typical case of malaria, including fever, significant weight loss, fatigue, and an enlarged spleen. This similarity in clinical presentation frequently leads to misdiagnosis by both patients and medical professionals, consequently delaying the accurate identification and appropriate treatment of leishmaniasis.

Hidden beneath this deceptive clinical picture, leishmaniasis is insidiously affecting populations in Kenya's arid and semi-arid counties. This deadly yet often neglected disease is largely unnoticed, underfunded, and dangerously underestimated. It continues to afflict thousands of individuals, quietly claiming lives within communities that are already grappling with the severe challenges of poverty, hunger, and restricted access to essential healthcare services.