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Member
countries agree to accelerate kala azar elimination activities
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Call for applications for
inclusion in WHO expert roster Status
of kala-azar in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and
Nepal: A regional review update [PDF 635 KB]
Elimination of
Kala azar
 Goals and Targets
Objectives
Strategies
Challenges
Phases
Monitoring and
evaluation
Work done and
future plan
Kala azar poster
Kala azar folder
Related links
WHO-Head
Quarter
CDC
SEARO/TDR
Contact us
Dr. Prasittisuk Chusak
chusakp@searo.who.int
World Health Organization
Regional Office for South-East Asia
World Health House
Indraprastha Estate
Mahatma Gandhi Marg
New Delhi 110 002, India
Tel - 91-11-23370804, 23370809-11
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 At a
meeting organized by WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, the Programme
Managers from kala azar endemic countries in South-East Asia Region agreed
to accelerate activities to eliminate kala-azar from Bangladesh, India
and Nepal
by 2015. The elimination initiative
shall substantially improve the health status of vulnerable groups and at
risk population living in kala-azar endemic areas of these countries.
Effective elimination strategies, technologies and tools are available to
translate the political commitment made by three endemic countries in 2005.
Objectives
[PDF 13 KB] Participants
[PDF 27 KB] RD’s
message [PDF 50 KB] Recommendations
[PDF 15 KB]
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What is Kala azar?
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  Kala azar (Visceral Leishmaniasis ) is a deadly disease caused by parasitic protozoa Leishmania donovani,
transmitted to humans by the bite of infected female sandfly, Phlebotomus argentipes. It lowers immunity, causes persistant fever, anemia, liver and spleen enlargement,
and if left untreated, it kills. The vector thrives in cracks and crevices
of mud plastered houses, poor housing conditions, heaps of cow dung, in rat
burrows, in bushes and vegetations around the houses.
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Kala azar status in SEA Region
 The disease is
endemic in three countries of WHO’s SEA
Region –Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Approximately 200
million people in the Region are “at risk” from the disease. The disease is
now being reported in 45 districts in Bangladesh,
52 in India
and 12 I Neplal. The
total number of districts reporting kala-azar exceeds 109. Of
the estimated 500,000 people in the world infected each year, nearly
100,000 are estimated to occur in the Region. In the endemic countries, kala azar affects the poorest
among the poor. The very poor have little knowledge about the disease and
hence they are unlikely to seek early treatment, and most of those who
start treatment cannot afford to complete it. The occurrence of the disease
drags then further into the downward spiral of poverty from which they are
unable to recover. Kala azar worsens the poverty
amongst the people…
More info…
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UPDATE ON THE
STATUS OF VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS (KALA AZAR)IN THE SEA REGION
 The
situation is worsening due to asymptomatic cases, PKDL, undernutrition
and kala-azar/HIV co-infections (Fig1). However,
the mortality is stable because of improved case management (fig2) in the
recent years due to availability of better diagnostic tools (RK39 kits) and
oral drug miltofosine.
More info…
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THE PROGRESS OF
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME IN PILOT DISTRICTS
 In Bangladesh,
a national steering committee and a technical task force has been
established. Miltefosine is registered and
linkages have been developed between medical colleges, IEDCR and NIPSOM.
The pilot district selected is Mymensingh. The
elimination of kala-azar is being implemented in Trishal
upazila as a part of an operational research
effort in collaboration with TDR and other partners. Disease burden studies,
mapping of the disease and entomological spot checks have been carried as
preparatory activities. Miltefosine and ‘rk39’
will be used in the upazila. Training modules are
being reviewed…
More info…
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Memorandum of
article signed for Kala azar
 The Health Ministers
of three Member States of WHO’s South-East Asia
Region, India, Nepal and Bangladesh signed on 18 May
2005 a Memorandum of Understanding pledging to collaborate to eliminate Visceral
Leishmaniasis (Kala-azar) from their countries.
The disease affects 100,000 people each year in these endemic countries,
while 147 million people are at risk.
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Why Elimination
of Kala azar is possible in South
Asia countries
Human beings are the only reservoir host and P. argentipes the only vector for the disease in SEA
Region. It is possible to eliminate kala azar from the region More info…
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Events Inter-country
Training of Trainers Workshop for Kala-azar
Elimination, Patna, India, 19-23 November 2007
Partners’ meeting on Kala azar : September 2007.
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