“Kala-azar, a persistent public health challenge in Nepal, is on track to be declared eliminated this year, thanks to a significant drop in new infections in recent years.

Health officials said the new infection rate has fallen to less than one case per 10,000 people, while deaths from the disease have also remained below one percent of those infected over the past two years—a key threshold for elimination..

The disease is transmitted through the bite of the infected female phlebotomine sandfly. Common symptoms include loss of appetite, weight loss, weakness, cough, persistent fever, and enlargement of the spleen and stomach. If not treated on time, the disease has a fatality rate of up to 95 percent.”

From The Kathmandu Post.