5–6 December 2025
The Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB), spearheaded by the Medical Education Centre for Research, Innovation and Training, in collaboration with The Ohio State University (OSU) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), USA, and the Nagasaki University Institute of Tropical Medicine (NUITM), Japan, conducted a two-day national workshop on leishmaniasis in Paro from 5–6 December 2025.
The workshop aimed to accelerate leishmaniasis elimination by integrating global advances in vaccines, diagnostics, vector control, and surveillance with Bhutan’s latest epidemiological and clinical evidence. It also sought to strengthen international academic partnerships and develop a focused, collaborative research roadmap for Bhutan and the region. Approximately 30 participants, including physicians, researchers, academicians, and program managers from the Ministry of Health, JDWNRH, NMS, and KGUMSB, participated in the workshop.
The workshop was resourced by international experts and national researchers, who highlighted the global, regional, and national burden and emerging risks of leishmaniasis. The outcomes of the technical sessions and brainstorming exercises underscored an alarming risk of potential leishmaniasis outbreaks in the future. In response, the workshop recommended that the Ministry of Health, with support from relevant stakeholders, undertake the following priority actions:
- Enhance public awareness and community engagement on leishmaniasis.
- Establish a sustainable vector surveillance system.
- Implement a continuous capacity-building program on leishmaniasis at KGUMSB.
- Revise and update national clinical management guidelines.
- Strengthen diagnostic tools and laboratory facilities.
- Enhance research capacity at KGUMSB, including gene sequencing capabilities.
Implementation of these recommendations is expected to significantly strengthen diagnostic capacity, improve the skills and knowledge of healthcare professionals and researchers on leishmaniasis, reinforce national and international collaboration, and prioritize research, training, and policy engagement to advance Bhutan’s leishmaniasis elimination goals.
Brief Background on Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that is transmitted by sand fly. The symptoms of leishmaniasis are prolonged fever, ulcers and wounds on the skin, non-healing ulcers or raised lesions inside the mouth and oral cavity. This disease is reported across several districts and two species sand fly with various varieties have been confirmed through entomological study across various districts in Bhutan. This disease often gets neglected due to low awareness among public and lack of a local name for the disease as well as the sand fly. If detected in time, there is treatment available.
