Leishmaniasis vaccine trial begins in U.S., India

"A vaccine against one of the most neglected yet fatal tropical diseases is being tested for the first time in a clinical trial in India and the U.S.," IRIN reports. Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), "also called kala-azar or black fever, infects an estimated half million persons or more annually," and "[i]t is found most commonly in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Brazil and Sudan," the news service notes. "A total of 72 volunteers are participating in the trial, but scientists say it will take years of testing to roll out an affordable vaccine to the 200 million people globally at risk of VL infection," IRIN writes, adding, "The WHO has warned that VL is spreading to previously unaffected countries due to co-infections of HIV and leishmaniasis, while the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said climate change can also spur the spread of the disease" (5/9).