Kala-Azar

Facts for Prelims

Kala-Azar

News: There has been a 98.7 per cent decline in cases of Kala-azar from 44,533 in 2007 to 834 in 2022 in India according to data provided by Ministry of Health.

Background:
• India is committed to eliminating Kala-Azar from the country by 2023
• Elimination of diseases means reducing the annual incidence of Kala-Azar to less than 1 case per 10,000 people at the sub-district level. 

What is Kala-Azar?
• Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar, is the most severe form of leishmaniasis and, without proper diagnosis and treatment, is associated with high fatality.
• It is also a neglected tropical disease (NTD)
• It is caused by protozoan parasites of the Leishmania genus (transmitted through the bite of Sand flies), migrates to the internal organs such as the liver, spleen (hence “visceral”), and bone marrow. 
• Signs and symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and substantial swelling of the liver and spleen.
• It is considered the second deadliest parasitic killer in the world after Malaria
• Kala-azar is endemic to the Indian subcontinent primarily in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal.