Government launches modified Kala-azar programme

The government launched the modified kala-azar control programme on 16th June in four states – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal with the objective of eradicating the disease in the next five years.The programme was kicked off by the Union Health Minister Dr. C.P. Thakur in Patna, where the largest number of deaths due to kala-azar are recorded every year. It is estimated that about 37 districts in Bihar, 10 districts of West Bengal and 3 districts each in Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh have wide spread kala-azar. More than 3,300 deaths have occurred in Bihar in the last decade due to the condition, while more than 1,90,000 cases have been reported from the state.There have been prior governmental efforts for the control of this disease. In 1950, a malaria control programme was launched which helped to control the spread of kala-azar as a spill-over effect. This programme included the spraying of DDT for mosquito control in malaria prone areas and this helped to reduce the incidence of sandfly infections also to an extent. However, the disease struck back in 1964 when the malaria control programme was discontinued. There have been no concentrated efforts for kala-azar eradication since then. Kala-azar is a type of infection that is spread by a species of sandfly. It occurs most commonly among the lower socio-economic strata and in migrant populations. People who work in open places in close proximity with animals are more prone to sandfly stings and thus the infection.