NEW DELHI

policymakers in India swear by the insecticide ddt to contain sand fly, the kala-azar vector. There are alternatives to using chemicals, a group of researchers has found by studying 50 villages in five kala-azar endemic districts in Bihar. The disease is most prevalent in the state. Critics say the study is not foolproof. Various theories exist on sand fly

The government should reintroduce banned DDT insecticide as a preventive tool to halt the spread of

The model for kala azar eradication is a cross-sectoral public-private partnership, writes Kavita Khanna in the second of a two-part series

The model for kala azar eradication is a cross-sectoral public-private partnership, writes Kavita Khanna in the second of a two-part series Globally, kala azar is the second largest parasitic killer after malaria. In India, Bihar is the epicentre of kala azar, home to, as per the state Kala Azar Task Force, over 1,00,000 patients. Kala azar is eminently preventable and curable. The parasite that transmits the disease is the sandfly. An extensive and effective vector control programme can go a long way in preventing transmission of the disease.

High alert has been sounded in Asom following the outbreak of kalaazar on the outskirts of Guwahati. Health Department sources said that the samples tested for suspected kalaazar have yielded positive results and the patients would be shifted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) soon. The suspected cases of kalaazar were reported from the Panikhaiti area in Kamrup district last week, when several people were admitted to the local hospital with kalaazar symptoms. The State Health Department has already sounded an alert and taken up prevention measures, including spraying of DDT and distribution of mosquito nets in the affected area.

kala-azar is spreading. Two cases of the disease, usually found in eastern parts of India, have been reported from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The pathogen could spread in the area because