Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) is existent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Leishmaniasis is a parasitic infection that is induced by Leishmania parasites and is transmitted by phlebotomine sandflies. The sandflies are hematophagous insects of medical importance and are distributed in warm zones ranging from semi-deserts to rainforests. The hitch of this creature is that people most often don’t realize the presence of sandflies because: They are pint-sized, roughly one fourth the size of mosquitoes or even smaller; They do not make any sound; and Their bites are painless or least painful to be sensed. Leishmaniasis is recorded from 98 countries where more than 350 million people live at the risk of disease. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis, but cutaneous leishmaniasisand visceral leishmaniasis are the most prevailing. In Pakistan, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a rising epidemic. Annually 21,700-35,700 cases of CL are reported in Pakistan. In the early 80s, the disease was prevalent in the areas located near the border of Afghanistan however presently it is reported in Baluchistan, Punjab (Multan) and all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (including former FATA). The disease is embedded generally in poverty-ridden, neglected areas with limited access to health care shaping it to a major public health problem in the country. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is not a fatal disease. Patients showing clinical signs may develop one or more sores on their skin. The sores can change in size and appearance over time. The sores may start as papules or nodules and may end up as ulcers. Yet the disquieting fact is, it causes gruesome and lifelong scarring that leads to the disfigurement of faces and limbs. The patients notably the women have to cover their faces to stay safe from being ridiculed in the community and to fend off social rejection. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a curable disease and Glucantime injection is the only drug of choice for its treatment. But the dilemma is this injection is not available in Pakistan. The local market doesn’t produce this medicine and the patients are utterly dependent on humanitarian aid organizations. On this subject Medicines Sans Frontieres (doctors without borders) is executing a premier role and imports the injections from its headquarters located in Paris. People of all ages living in the area where leishmaniasis is present are at risk of getting the infection. The transmission risk is highest from dusk to dawn because this is when sand flies generally are the most active. The control and prevention of this disease demand resolution from both the community and government bodies. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is not a fatal disease. Patients showing clinical signs may develop one or more sores on their skin. The sores can change in size and appearance over time What the government and community may ensure? 1. The Community should adopt the following precautionary measures: Keep the environment clean. Stay in the well-screened area. Use of bed nets, keeping in mind the sand flies are much smaller than mosquitoes and therefore can get through the holes, so it is recommended to better use paired bed bets to overlap the holes, decreasing the probability of crossing the nets. Use of insecticidal spray in sleeping areas. Apply insect repellent to exposed skin during peak season. 2. The government needs to coordinate with the World Health Organization and Medicines Sans Frontieres for the well-timed delivery of injections since consignment consumes time to arrive owing to the lengthy procurement process and slow custom clearance in Pakistan. This is the prime step for the reason that the patients are counting on these injections for treatment and they could not afford the expensive and lengthy treatment. While any delay in the treatment ends up in bigger growth and spread of lesion which if left untreated the scars remain forever. 3. Registration of this drug in Pakistan so its production can begin locally. 4. Vector control would go a long way in controlling sandflies together with other vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria etc. 5. Universities and research institutes launch inspective studies on ecological aspects of the sandfly, its distribution and associated risks of leishmaniasis. Said studies may benefit in identifying specific environmental characteristics for sandflies that could facilitate in designing more targeted interventions for controlling the vector density and dwindling the disease burden. The writer works at Lab of Vector and Vector-borne diseases, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing, China