Kala-azar among labour migrants in Metema-Humera region of Ethiopia.

A semi-prospective study of clinical and laboratory data of kala-azar was made in 27 patients from Metema-Humera lowlands in north-west Ethiopia. Most patients were labour migrants. A high mortality rate (55.6%) was found in these labourers in spite of therapy with pentavalent antimonials. We suspect that kala-azar in this region is a zoonosis and believe that the clinical picture is similar to that of the Sudan.