National Training Courses on Indoor Residual Spraying for Controlling Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and VL Case Management and Laboratory Testing Course were held from 13 to 17 November, 2017 in Longnan City, Gansu Province. The training course was jointly organized by NIPD and MSF and hosted by Gansu CDC and Longnan CDC. A total of 70 students came from seven provincial / municipal CDC and 10 municipal CDC. Ge Pengfei, Director of Gansu CDC, Zhang Qingli, Director of Health and Family Planning Commission of Longnan City, and Cai Yucheng, director of Longnan CDC attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches.

Visceral leishmaniasis, commonly known as "kala-azar," is one of the top five parasitic diseases in the world with urgent need for its prevention and control. The training aims to further strengthen our prevention and treatment of visceral leishmaniasis and enhance the capacity of personnel at all levels of vector prevention and control.

The training course invited Dr. Rajpal Yadav, Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, WHO, Dr. Michael Rekart and Dr. William Robertson from MSF to give the lectures. Arranged reasonably, the training course combines theory with practice. During the five-day training in IRS, participants learned about WHOs recommended IRS techniques and learned about spraying techniques in practical spraying. By spraying on the spot where residents live in mud houses in Liting Village,  Longnan City, trainees mastered the skills of spraying different walls and benefited greatly, laying a good foundation for the prevention and treatment of kala-azar in our country and the whole world.