Elimination of Kala Azar – BTSP
Care India Support for Implementing National Kala Azar Elimination Programme
Kala Azar (Visceral Leishmaniasis or VL) is a neglected tropical disease that is almost always fatal if left untreated. It spreads through the bite of a sandfly, and disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable communities. People living with HIV are over 100 to 2,320 times more likely to contract Kala Azar in areas of endemicity, and patients co-infected with HIV and Kala Azar face a greater risk of death.
CARE India is supporting the implementation of the National Kala Azar Elimination Programme of the Government of India to accelerate the progress of elimination by 2020, and its validation by 2023.
Our Approach
CARE India is providing strategic leadership and implementing the scale up of VL control activities across multiple states, backed by a highly-skilled programme support team at the state and divisional levels with experience in finance, human resources, and administration management.
By establishing mechanisms for governmental institutions to engage deeply in this effort, we are trying to build lasting systems, and a post-elimination roadmap. Generation of more information on the disease is an integral part. We aim to come up with sustainable solutions to eliminate Kala Azar by capacitating the government to undertake key activities of intervention.
Our Work
In collaboration with the Bihar and Jharkhand state Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme, CARE India scaled up the project to fight Kala Azar, a tropical disease affecting the most marginalised communities, especially children. Kala Azar elimination interventions are currently underway in 33 districts of Bihar, where at least one case has been detected among 10,000 people, last year.
CARE India is providing assistance in:
- Direct techno-managerial support for the management and monitoring of IRS
- Implementation of a rigorous Health Management Information System (HMIS) that yields real time incidence data by geography
- Management of early case finding and tracking, including accurate diagnosis and treatment, mainly in public facilities across all affected areas
- Incorporation of best practices related to these actions within the state’s program management systems
In addition, ensuring sustainability of Kala Azar elimination is being enhanced through the adoption of rational strategies for sustenance by the states and the central government by the end of the project period. CARE India is working with key departments and ministries, to provide technical assistance in programme management, quality assurance, human resources, procurement and supply, financial and performance management, and demand creation.
Our Innovations
Active Case Detection
Our cadre of Kala Azar block coordinators work with the public health facilities to identify and track case detections. Tracking and follow-up is done up to a year for every patient.
Indoor Residual Spray (IRS)
IRS is sprayed in houses to keep away sandflies and protect the occupants of the house from Kala Azar. Around 1,925 spray squads of 6 member each have been deployed in Kala Azar affected districts. Microplanning ensures that all villages affected in the past three years are included, along with estimates of numbers of households, squads, equipment, for supply allocation.
Kala Azar MIS Registers
These registers are maintained at all diagnostic facilities, usually by the lab technician to keep track of suspects and case detections. This is done in order to improve the follow-up and tracking mechanism of patients.
- 01
2004
Bihar launched a detailed roadmap for Kala Azar elimination, which was later replicated nationally. This roadmap included inputs from us.
- 02
82.9%
IRS coverage achieved in 2017
- 03
31,500
Cases of Kala Azar occurrence in Bihar (since 2013) is now available online through the MIS Register
- 04
6
Districts have established entomological surveillance sites. Each site has a laboratory along with one entomologist and six insect collectors, employed by CARE India.
- 05
75%
Of 534 blocks in Bihar achieved their elimination targets in 2016.
Connect with Us
Corporate and Registered Office
Module No. 411, 4th Floor, NSIC-MDBP BuildingOkhla Industrial Estate, New Delhi – 110020 (INDIA)
