# Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria.

*biotech · news · 2026-05-21 · Gilead Sciences*

## Key points

- Gilead renewed its five-year WHO partnership, donating over 400,000 AmBisome vials and $9.2 million.
- The expanded agreement newly includes Chad and Djibouti in its list of supported high-burden countries.
- Previous Gilead-WHO efforts reduced new VL cases by over 95% in Southeast Asia since 2005.
- In 2023, Bangladesh achieved WHO validation for VL elimination as a public health problem.

**Companies:** Gilead Sciences, Inc.
**Countries:** Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Eritrea, India, Kenya, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, Yemen, Chad, Djibouti

[Read the full story on Gilead Sciences](https://www.gilead.com/news/news-details/2026/gilead-sciences-and-world-health-organization-expand-collaboration-to-help-eliminate-visceral-leishmaniasis-a-fatal-parasitic-disease)

---

Canonical: https://newsio.io/n/d191faf2-e183-45b4-a25e-167e0fdba800/visceral-leishmaniasis-vl-is-the-second-deadliest-parasitic-disease-after-malari
Summarized by Newsio from Gilead Sciences. https://newsio.io/how-it-works