Kala-azar: Body-wasting disease, leaves tragedy in its wake

In February 2022, Simon Kimwele, a resident of Wikithuki village in Kitui County, received a phone call that would change his life forever. The local area chief urged him to rush his son to the hospital immediately, as the child was showing all the symptoms of kala-azar, scientifically known as visceral leishmaniasis, a potentially fatal disease if not treated in time.