Kala azar in India

rdf:langString Kala azar in India

rdf:langString Kala azar (Visceral leishmaniasis) in India refers to the special circumstances of the disease kala azar as it exists in India. Kala azar is a major health problem in India with an estimated 146,700 new cases per year as of 2012. In the disease a parasite causes sickness after migrating to internal organs such as the liver, spleen and bone marrow. If left untreated the disease almost always results in the death. Signs and symptoms include fever, weight loss, fatigue, anemia, and substantial swelling of the liver and spleen. People get the disease from the bites of sandflies which themselves got a parasite from drinking blood of another person infected with the parasite. Globally there are more than 20 different Leishmania parasites which cause the disease and 90 species of sandfly which spread those parasites. In the Indian subcontinent, however, there is only one common species of parasite, Leishmania donovani and only one species of sandfly, Phlebotomus argentipes, which spreads the disease. The form of the disease, the medicine for eliminating the parasite, and insecticide for preventing the insect bite varies by region, and there are recommendations in place for India. Besides the personal cost, the disease has a great economic cost to the affected communities and India in general.