ECLIPSE

The neglected tropical disease cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is caused by a parasite (Leishmania) which is spread through the bite of a sand fly. Infection results in disfiguring skin lesions which heal slowly and may cause disability, affect mental health and result in severe permanent scarring. The most common treatment for CL consists of daily drug injections for 20 days, usually administered at specialist clinics located far away from rural communities.

CL is a highly stigmatising skin condition that leads to discrimination, social exclusion and poverty which, in turn, may lead to additional health problems. Treatment by traditional healers (e.g. burning lesions) or self-treatment (e.g. with household chemicals) is common, causing further scarring and possible long-term mental health effects. CL is found in 98 countries, each with different challenges in terms of disease awareness, early and accurate diagnosis, disease reporting and monitoring, available treatment pathways and access to healthcare. Early diagnosis and treatment improve patient outcomes by limiting lesion size and can reduce spread of the disease in the community.

Brazil, Ethiopia and Sri Lanka – offer three very different CL realities in terms of socio-economic, political and cultural factors. 

With the involvement of local communities throughout the research, ECLIPSE brings together expertise in an international, cross-cultural, multidisciplinary team that includes clinicians, anthropologists, psychologists, disease specialist and public health researchers. The ECLIPSE partnership includes established and early career researchers who undertook ground-breaking research and the ECLIPSE Policy Network brought together policy makers from the three countries to learn from best practice.