Kala-azar field research
Abstract
To better understand the economic burden of kala-azar (as visceral leishmaniasis is known on the Indian subcontinent), on rural Indian households, OneWorld Health (OWH) collaborated with Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences, a leading kala-azar research institute in India. The research team conducted a series of field studies in the northeastern Indian state of Bihar, the epicenter of kala-azar in the region. The team interviewed the heads of more than 15,000 rural households in the district of East Chamaparan and identified 214 people who had suffered from kala-azar in 182 families. Researchers interviewed the household heads three times over 18 months to understand the economic impact of the disease. They found that kala-azar poses significant, long-term financial strains on families affected by the disease, particularly among the poorest households.
Citation
Institute for Oneworld Health (IOWH). Kala-azar field research. Institute for Oneworld Health (IOWH), San Francisco, USA (2012) 2 pp.
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