Kala-azar cases found; state to survey affected areas
Special team from Swasthya Bhawan to be sent to the districts where such cases have been detected
KOLKATA: As the state government remains occupied in tackling Covid pandemic, kalaazar cases have been prevalent in various pockets of Bengal. In the wake of the sudden appearance of kala-azar cases, the state Health department has decided to carry out a survey in those areas. Surveillance has been initiated.
A special team will also be sent from Swasthya Bhawan to the districts where such cases have been found. No deaths have however been reported.
Kala-azar, also known as visceral leishmaniasis, is a disease caused by protozoan parasites that infects organs such as liver and spleen, and is spread through sand flies — flies with hairy, brownish-gray wings. According to the experts, the use of Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) of insecticides is the only way to check this but the spraying of crucial insecticides got delayed in various places due to Covid pandemic and also due to prolonged lockdown for Covid. According to sources, some kala-azar cases are being reported from various districts this season.
It is suspected that people residing in dampened mud houses are mostly affected as the flies which spread the disease lay eggs in the dampened surfaces. A special team of the health department will soon visit the places where kalaazar cases have been reported. Survey will be carried out by the department in the affected pockets.
A senior health department official said that the local administration has taken initiatives to set up concrete houses for them. Nutritious foods will be supplied to the affected people at free of cost for the next one month.
People are already getting medicines at free of cost.
Blood tests will be conducted on many other people straying in the affected areas.
“Kala-azar was eliminated from Bengal but due to Covid and prolonged lock down, some cases are now found. It happened as spraying of insecticides was hampered in various places due to the pandemic,” a health official said.
It may be mentioned here that female sandflies pick up the amastigote stage of the parasite while feeding on an infected human host. The cycle in the sand flies is completed in about 8 days. Infection is transmitted to healthy human beings when such infective sand flies bite them.
Director of Health Services Dr Sidhartha Niyogi said that surveillance has been stepped up. Kala-azar was eliminated from Bengal.
People coming from adjoining districts like Bihar, Jharkhand often carry germs.