In Context
- According to reports, eleven districts of Bengal have reported at least 65 cases of black fever or kala azar in the last couple of weeks
Kala-azar
- About:
- It is a slow progressing indigenous disease caused by a protozoan parasite of genus Leishmania.
- Kala azar or leishmaniases is one of the most dangerous neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which is endemic in 76 countries, with approximately 200 million people at risk of infection
- Forms:
- There are 3 main forms of leishmaniasis – visceral (also known as kala-azar, which is and the most serious form of the disease), cutaneous (the most common where skin is affected), and mucocutaneous
- Transmission:
- Leishmania parasites are transmitted through the bites of infected female phlebotomine sandflies, which feed on blood to produce eggs.
- Some 70 animal species, including humans, have been found as natural reservoir hosts of Leishmania parasites.
- Leishmania parasites are transmitted through the bites of infected female phlebotomine sandflies, which feed on blood to produce eggs.
- Impacts:
- The disease affects some of the poorest people and is associated with malnutrition, population displacement, poor housing, a weak immune system and lack of financial resources.
- Leishmaniasis is also linked to environmental changes such as deforestation, building of dams, irrigation schemes and urbanization.
- Prevention and control:
- Prevention and control of leishmaniasis requires a combination of intervention strategies.
- It is a treatable and curable disease, “which requires an immunocompetent system because medicines will not get rid of the parasite from the body, thus the risk of relapse if immunosuppression occurs”.
- Effective disease surveillance is important to promptly monitor and act during epidemics and situations with high case fatality rates under treatment.
Source:IE
