In a move to eliminate Kala-Azar from Jharkhand and four other states a workshop was organized on Friday. The workshop was inaugurated by Additional Chief Secretary Health, Arun Kumar Singh where he said that a road map will be prepared to eliminate the Kala Azar.

On this occasion officails of four states were also present who are working to eliminate Kala-Azar.

The program was jointly led by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the National Center for Control of Vector Borne Diseases and the World Health Organization. In this two-day review meeting, an action plan will be prepared to eliminate this disease in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal.

WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Project Concern International, Global Health Strategies, Path, Care and Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), DNDI, LSTM are also helping in eliminating Kala-Azar.

Additional Chief Secretary said that now most of the cases of Kala-azar are confined to two districts, 3 blocks of Pakur and 2 blocks of Dumka. So we are beginning to focus more in these areas. Insecticide spraying (IRS) will be done at village and block level, to develop micro action plan.

Campaign Director, NHM, Aditya Kumar Anand, Commissioner MGNREGA, Rajeshbari B, Director NCVBDC,  Dr Tanu Jain, Director, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Alka Ahuja and Additional Director, NCVBDCP, Dr Nupur Roy were also present on the ocassion.

Aditya Ranjan said that due to the concerted efforts, there has been a decline of about 45 per cent cases of Kala-Azar in past one year and it is now limited to 90 villages in only 2 districts of the State. Director NCVBDC, Government of India, Tanu Jain stressed on the collective efforts and said that it is the responsibility of all of us to work towards eradication of Kala-azar.

Kala-Azar is an infectious disease caused by the parasite Lismania donovani. It is also a virus-borne disease. The effect of this disease falls on the body gradually. Kala-Azar disease is spread by the parasitic sand fly which lives in low light and moist places such as crevices of soil walls, rat burrows and moist soil. The sand fly spreads this infection from one person to another.

Patients suffering from this disease, especially the hands, feet, stomach and face become brown in color, due to which it is named Kala-azar.