Globally, neglected tropical diseases affect hundreds of millions and place even more at risk, and nearly 40 million people are suffering from stigma secondary to one such disease, cutaneous leishmaniasis.

World Health Organization/Tropical Disease Research program focuses on the development of new diagnostics, vaccines, and drugs to combat these complex conditions. However, tropical diseases are globally dispersed, making it difficult for the treatment to be available and affordable for those most in need, who are often socioeconomically and politically marginalized (like Ethiopia).

Leishmaniasis impacts public health, socioeconomics, and the nation’s economy and growth. There is lack of systematic review and meta-analysis on prevalence and risk factors of human leishmaniasis at country level. This direction further indicated a need to assess the prevalence and risk factors of human leishmaniasis.

Such a gap in knowledge further complicates the full understanding and evidentiary base needed to combat this disease. Therefore, this study determined the pooled prevalence and risk factors of human leishmaniasis in Ethiopia.

The prevalence of leishmaniasis remains high in Ethiopia (9.13%), and gender (male) and the presence of hyraxes within a 300-m radius of the sleeping area were significant risk factors. Vaccine development, methods of diagnosis, and treatment that can be affordable for developing countries should be given priority.