In 2023, India hit target towards eliminating Kala Azar, first time

Subject: Science and tech

Section: Health

Context :

Data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme showed that there were 595 cases and four deaths of Kala Azar reported nationwide last year compared to 891 cases and three deaths in 2022.

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Kala Azar is the second deadliest parasitic disease after malaria in the country.
India has achieved the target of reporting less than one case per 10,000 population across all blocks in 2023.
Data from the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme showed that there were 595 cases and four deaths of Kala Azar reported nationwide last year compared to 891 cases and three deaths in 2022.
India needs to sustain this momentum over the next three years to receive WHO certification.
India’s initial target year for Kala Azar elimination was 2010, which was later extended to 2015, 2017, and then 2020.
Elimination for Kala Azar is defined as no block in the country reporting more than one case per 10,000 people.
In October 2023, Bangladesh became the first country in the world to be officially validated by the WHO for eliminating Kala Azar as a public health problem.
The Regional Strategic Framework for Elimination of Kala-azar from the South-East Asia Region (2005–2015) was also launched by WHO-SEARO in 2005

About Kala Azar:

Kala Azar (or visceral leishmaniasis) is a parasitic infection transmitted by sandflies. It causes fever, weight loss, spleen and liver enlargement.
It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia.
Most cases occur in Brazil, east Africa and India.
Kala-azar is a treatable and curable disease, which requires an immunocompetent system.
If left untreated, it can be fatal in 95% of cases.
In India, there were 633 blocks, mainly in four states Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, where the disease was endemic.
PKDL or Post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis, is a well-recognised complication which causes scaly skin patches and nodular lesions in people who have been apparently cured of Kala Azar up to two years of the initial infection.
Leishmania-HIV co-infection refers to the People living with HIV and who are infected with leishmaniasis have high chances of developing the full-blown disease, high relapse and mortality rates.
Patients only need an IV drip of the medicine, which takes about two hours, for the infection to be cured.

There are 3 main forms of the disease:

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is fatal if left untreated in over 95% of cases. It is characterized by irregular bouts of fever, weight loss, enlargement of the spleen and liver, and anemia.
- Most cases occur in Brazil, east Africa and India.
Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is the most common form and causes skin lesions, mainly ulcers, on exposed parts of the body. These can leave life-long scars and cause serious disability or stigma.
Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis leads to partial or total destruction of mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat.