Vector density and the control of kala-azar in Bihar, India

A comparative evaluation of endemic and non-endemic region of visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-azar) in India with ground survey and space technology

“…However, our results showed significant associations between vector abundance, indoor temperature and relative humidity, which might be a relevant predictor for disease prevalence. One study (Kumar et al 2009) supports that the presence of cracks and crevices, due to high levels of relative humidity and temperature, generates essential breeding conditions for P. argentipes. These findings are also supported by another study (Ready 2008), which demonstrated spatiotemporal modelling of the distributions of the leishmaniasis and their sandfly vectors in relation to climate change in Europe.…”

“…1). Data on sandfly distribution, frequency and biology (Kesari et al 2010), as well as on the sampling areas of Lohardaga and Vaishali (Kumar et al 2009), have been reported. Similar to other regions in the upper Gangetic plain, the climate of Vaishali is humid and tropical.…”

How effective is dog culling in controlling zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis? a critical evaluation of the science, politics and ethics behind this public health policy

“…However, with the end of the Global Malaria Eradication Campaign in 1971, resurgence of the infection was observed, which reached its zenith in 1977, probably affecting a million people, with a fatality rate of about 7% 30,31 . Currently, India has been implementing the use of DDT in the State of Bihar since 1971, but control has not been achieved 32 , even though the country plans to eradicate the disease by 2015 33 . Some current studies have compared the effectiveness of residual spraying of insecticides with mosquito nets impregnated with long-term insecticides and with environmental modification, and the best results have been with indoor residual spraying 34,35 .…”

The Economic Value of a Visceral Leishmaniasis Vaccine in Bihar State, India

“…10,50 Many IRS studies have demonstrated a decrease in vector density and infection incidence after short-term follow-up. 11 However, other studies reflected little or no change in infection rates and even have suggested that infection rates may not be as dependent upon vector density as previously believed.…”

“…In Bihar state, VL is resistant to the cheapest universal first-line treatment option (pentavalent antimonials); patients are therefore subjected to a more costly and rigorous treatment regimen 2,8,9 ; additionally, the effect of ongoing vector control efforts on regional disease incidence and transmission have yielded mixed results. [10][11][12] The ability of a one-time infection to grant lifelong immunity has made the idea of a potential vaccine promising 13 ; although first-generation whole-killed vaccines have been unsuccessful in clinical trials, second-generation recombinant polyprotein vaccines have shown more promise. Specifically, recombinant vaccine candidate LEISH-111f + MPL-SE (now LEISH-F1), 14 developed by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded initiative through the Infectious Disease Research Institute at Banaras Hindu University, has recently completed phase I clinical trials in India.…”