Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is potentially a fatal disease that is caused by intracellular protozoanrnparasites of the L. donovani spp. To date, there has been no reliable diagnostic test for activerninfection of VL. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a simple, rapid, and reliable diagnostic testrnwith high sensitivity and specificity for clinical practice and VL control. To determine therndiagnostic and sero-epidemiological screening performance of Indirect Hemagglutination, serumrnsamples were obtained from endemic areas of Ethiopia and evaluated using antigens preparedrnfrom an isolate of L. donovani (MHOM/SD/68/1S) promastigote stage. Serum samples of 77rnsuspected VL and 51 controls for diagnostic; and for epidemiological study 1217 samplesrninvolving 57 VL suspected, and 1085 samples including 132 samples from previously treated VLrnpatients were tested by IHA at various cut-off titers, DAT, and FAST. Spleen and/or lymph nodernaspiration with subsequent smear and/or culture test confirmed the presence of parasite in 37 andrn19 individuals in diagnostic and epidemiological study subjects, respectively. IHA test performedrnfor comparison was able to detect anti-leishmanial antibodies in 94.6% and 100% of thernconfirmed cases of VL (at 1:64 cut-off titer) in diagnostic and epidemiological study subjects,rnrespectively. Among 1085 sera, IHA (at 1:64 cut-off titer) test was positive in 10.6% ofrnpreviously untreated asymptomatic individuals. Whereas out of 132 previously treated VLrnpatients, 72% were found to be IHA positive at 1:64 dilutions. IHA at cut-off titers 1:64 andrn1:128 showed a sensitivity of 94.5% and 86.5%, a specificity of 60% and 77.5% respectively inrnthe diagnostic study and a sensitivity of 100% and 100%, specificity of 33.3% and 50% in thernepidemiological study. The result showed IHA to be sensitive, rapid, and simple test for thediagnosis and epidemiological screening of visceral leishmaniasis. Further evaluation of IHA testrnshould be conducted with careful use of the gold standard.rnKeywords: Indirect Hemagglutination test; Visceral Leishmaniasis; Ethiopia; seroepidemiology