Quoted in ProMED:

Visceral leishmaniasis was 1st described in Brazil in 1934 and 1st reported from Rio de Janeiro state in 1977.

90 percent of cases are reported from the north (mouth of the Amazon) and eastern regions. The disease is endemic to Alagoas, Bahia, Ceara, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio Grande do Norte, Roraima and Sergipe. Urban transmission was 1st reported in 1981, from Teresina (Piaui State). A large focus extends from Roraima into Venezuela and Guyana.

The reported incidence has increased from 164 cases (35 fatal) in 1980 to 3220 (223 fatal) in 2005; see graph . A total of 44 289 cases were reported during 1980 to 2000, 39 823 of these from the northeast. Brazil accounts for over 90 percent of cases in the New World.
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