According to data from the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC), India has achieved its target to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis, commonly known as kala-azar.
- The latest data from NCVBDC indicates that India reported only 520 cases of kala-azar in 2023 across India, meeting the elimination criteria set by the World Health Organization (WHO), which defines elimination as no block in the country reporting more than one case per 10,000 people.
Key points
- India had initially aimed to eliminate kala-azar by 2010, but the target was extended until 2023.
- Kala-azar is a vector-borne disease caused by protozoan parasites transmitted through sandfly bites.
- It has posed a significant health challenge for decades, particularly in states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh.
- As per the WHO, in 2020, India accounted for 18 per cent of the global burden of kala-azar.
- Key government interventions includes: rigorous indoor residual spraying efforts aimed at curtailing sandfly breeding sites; the application of a special soil to seal crevices in mud walls, preventing sandflies from nesting; and the mobilisation of the ASHA network to ensure completion of treatment for Post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients, who require a 12-week course of Miltefosine.
