: When Bangladesh received international recognition for the elimination of kala-azar as a ‘public health problem’ on October 31, 2023, it was undoubtedly celebrated as a major achievement in the country’s public health sector. This success was possible as a result of long-term coordinated efforts, research, and field-level activities.
But within two years of that achievement, reality is now sending a different message.
Stagnation in field activities, acute shortages of medicines, and weak surveillance are all warning public health experts that the once-under-control disease could resurface.
Although the infection has decreased, the risk remains.
According to the Department of Health, in 1997, the number of kala-azar patients in the country was 8,846, which increased to a peak of 9,379 in 2006. Later, the number of patients began to decline rapidly as a result of the National Kala-azar Eradication Programme (NKEP), single-dose Ambisome treatment, active case detection (ACD), and vector control activities.
In 2021, the number of patients dropped to 99. Then, it rose to 146 in 2022, 144 in 2023, and 89 in 2024.
However, according to experts, this downward trend has now become a cause for complacency. Currently, about 160 to 167 upazilas in 26 districts of the country are still at risk, where about 38 million people are at risk of kala-azar infection.
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