KALIKOT, March 5: The disease, seen mostly at Terai region of Nepal, Visceral Leishmaniasis, also commonly known as Kala-Azar, has also started appearing in hilly districts of the country in recent years as transportation from Terai began to come to the hilly regions.

According to the statistics from the office of health services, the number of kala-azar patients is increasing every year in Kalikot. Many cases of Kala Azar have been reported in Palatar Pachaljharna, Raskot and Khandachakra Municipalities.

Similarly, Kala-azar is mostly prevalent among children, according to the office. So far in the current fiscal year, 16 patients of Kala-azar have been found in Kalikot. Nine of them are under five years of age. Ratnabir Sunar, acting head of the health service office, said that the number of Kala Azar patients has been increasing in Kalikot for the last three years.

According to the office, seven cases of Kala-azar were found in Kalikot in the fiscal year 2018/19. In the fiscal year 2019/20, the number of Kala-azar patients reached 26. In the previous fiscal year 2020/21, Kala-azar was seen in 43 people. So far in the current fiscal year, 16 cases of Kala-azar have been found.

Information Officer of the office, Katak Bahadur Mahat, said that the number of Kala-azar patients was increasing in Kalikot every year. "We only have the information about the number of patients who have visited the hospital. There might be more cases of Kala-azar in the villages,” he said.

In the previous fiscal year, a person referred to Surkhet for treatment had died due to the disease. Doctors say that if there are any symptoms like fever, darkening of face, bloating, weight loss and increase in fever, you should immediately visit the health institution for consultation.

 
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