Kala Azar-free tag only a year away for India

OFFICIAL DATA SHOWS THE COUNTRY HAS MAINTAINED DISEASE LEVELS BELOW W.H.O.'S THRESHOLDS FOR 2 YEARS, ON TRACK FOR OFFICIAL CERTIFICATE IF THE TREND CONTINUES

- Rhythma Kaul

NEW DELHI: India is a year away from being declared free of Kala Azar, a deadly parasitic disease that has plagued the subcontinent since the 19th century, a moment that would mark a significant milestone against an illness that once influenced popular culture.

Official health surveillance data shows the country has maintained disease levels below World Health Organization's elimination thresholds for two consecutive years, setting the stage for official WHO certification if the trend continues.

"All endemic blocks have achieved the target of less than one case per 10,000 population by the end of 2023, which highlights the success of the government's decades-old elimination programme," a senior government official said, asking not to be named.

Kala Azar, known medically as visceral leishmaniasis, ranks as the second deadliest parasitic disease globally after malaria. The name derives from Hindi and Persian words meaning "black disease", referring to the characteristic skin darkening in patients. In India, the disease is transmitted exclusively by the Leishmania donovani parasite through sandfly bites. The disease dominated popular culture in the country in the 1950s.

Union health minister JP Nadda said India reached the elimination target in 2023, ahead of the global 2030 target under sustainable development goals. "The efforts are going to be towards sustaining the same for the country to be declared Kala Azar free by the WHO," Nadda said.