The Burden of Visceral Leishmaniasis in India: Challenges in Using Remote Sensing and GIS to Understand and Control

Abstract

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) continues to constitute immense public health problems and be an obstacle to socioeconomic development in India. e scrutiny of this disease remains a necessary step in its control, eradication, and prevention. Space technologies proffer new opportunities for rapid appraisal of endemic areas, stipulation of trustworthy estimation of populations at risk, prediction of disease distributions in areas that lack baseline data and are difficult to access, and guiding intervention strategies. Here, we focus on the epidemiology and control of VL in India and review remote sensing (RS) and GIS applications to date. For the original evidenced report, a search was done on electronic databases of PubMed, ERMSS, EQUEST and from online Internet searching to come across the recent research problems. �e discuss the previous work conducted in this �eld, outlined potential new applications of GIS and RS techniques, and utilization of emerging satellite information, as they hold a promising area to further enhance VL risk mapping and prediction. Finally, we concluded with a discussion of strategies to overcome some of the perspective challenges of GIS and RS applications for VL control, so that supplementary and continued progress can be made to control this disease in India and elsewhere.

Spatial autocorrelation and epidemiological survey of visceral leishmaniasis in an endemic area of Azerbaijan region, the northwest of Iran

“…According to the findings of this study in Brazil, the incidence of VL reduced from 1999 to 2008, but its incidence spread to the various reservoirs and areas [35]. In India, the cases of VL dropped from around 76,500 cases in 1992 to around 12,000 cases in 2012, but the distribution of the disease increased in different states [36,37]. Only in Afghanistan, the incidence of VL increased from 10,944 in 2003 to 32,145 cases in 2010; one of the main causes of this increase is the war in the country that has increased the number of diseases and areas of distribution [38].…”

Optimizing Insecticide Allocation Strategies Based on Houses and Livestock Shelters for Visceral Leishmaniasis Control in Bihar, India

“…The average number of annual VL cases in India was reported to be 28,382 cases in 2010 7 and the provisional number of kala-azar cases in 2011 was 31,000. 8 However, these reported numbers may be highly underreported. A study on VL transmission dynamics 9 showed as high as 90% underreporting in some districts of Bihar in [2003][2004][2005].…”

Evaluation of in vitro and in vivo antileishmanial potential of bergenin rich Bergenia ligulata (Wall.) Engl. root extract against visceral leishmaniasis in inbred BALB/c mice through immunomodulation

“…Visceral leishmaniasis continues to constitute a severe public health threat, 35 causing considerable mortality and major disability in the Indian subcontinent 36 due to its challenging behaviour as a re-emerging disease at a fast deteriorating rate with urban epidemics and burden is upsurging year after year. 37 In the current scenario of non availability of any safe, non toxic, effective and affordable drug, the crude plant extract has been explored to have antileishmanial activity.…”