Leishmaniases are a parasitic disease present in mammals, including humans, caused by a protozoan of the genus Leishmania and transmitted by the bites of female insects, sandflies. Leishmaniases are endemic with outbreaks in nearly 90 countries on 4 continents (Africa, Europe, the Americas and Asia), exposing 350 million people. The visceral form is responsible for 70,000 deaths annually, but the most common form remains cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) with 0.7 to 1.3 million new cases each year worldwide. CL comes in three different forms: localized cutaneous leishmaniasis (LCL), diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL), and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis (MCL). Algeria is affected by two forms of leishmaniasis, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) (Kala Azar) also called Doum-Doum fever or tropical splenomegaly, and cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) called Balkh's Wound in the Middle Ages, or Oriental Button and Biskra Nail around the Mediterranean or Aleppo Button in the Middle East. Confirmed among the countries affected by VL, Algeria is the second most affected cluster of CL in the world after Afghanistan.

LC disease covers almost the entire Algerian territory, with several thousand annual cases recorded and an incidence that continues to increase year after year to reach 2.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019. This disease is endemic in 3 clinical forms in Algeria, two of which are in the north of the country, visceral leishmaniasis (VL) which is very abundant, caused mainly by Leishmania infantum, and sporadic cutaneous leishmaniasis in the north (SCL) due to Leishmania tropica, and zoonotic cutaneous form (ZCL), caused by Leishmania major in the center and south of the country, found in the region of the steppes and the Sahara.

Additionally, this expansive country, covering an area of roughly 2,400 million square meters presents several factors that contribute to the resurgence of this disease. These include a range of climates from humid to semi-humid and arid, diverse bioclimatic zones, and environmental changes, as well as factors related to the host's immune status and drug resistance or intolerance.

The proliferation of the disease is further exacerbated by a significant population of stray dogs. As the disease continues to spread and control methods pose ongoing challenges for the veterinary and medical communities, we have resolved to hold an International Veterinary Seminar on October 29th and 30th, 2024, to facilitate the exchange of ideas and present more solutions to combat these fearsome protozoans..