UNB, Dhaka :
New research into treating Post Kala Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), done by international medical
humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Mymensingh district has uncovered an improved treatment regimen for the disease.
These findings, which follow a study begun in April 2014, could boost the authorities’ continuing efforts to eliminate Kala Azar from Bangladesh.
Kala Azar is a parasitological disease spread by the bite of infected sandflies. The disease can be fatal if left untreated as it attacks the immune system. PKDL is a reaction of the immune system that 10-15% of patients develop after successful treatment for Kala Azar. Patients with PKDL develop skin lesions which are in themselves harmless, but contain Kala Azar parasites. If a sandfly bites a lesion, it can pick up parasites and then infect other people with Kala Azar by biting them. Persons with PKDL can therefore be reservoirs for transmission of Kala Azar within their community.
“This research has exciting implications for thousands of people in Bangladesh who are either suffering or at risk from Kala Azar,” said Jens Pagotto, MSF’s Bangladesh Country Director. “It is also very significant for people in other countries worldwide who are battling this neglected tropical disease.”
While other treatments for PKDL existed previously, the long treatment courses with painful and toxic side effects prevented many people from completing them. This improved treatment, together with research done by other actors in India, has prompted
the Bangladeshi government to change its protocols for treating PKDL and adopt the new regimen in the National Guidelines.
“The analysis shows very promising results,” says Dr Asish Kumar Das, MSF’s principal investigator. “There had been substantial improvement among more than 80% of the patients. The treatment regimen is short, effective and the side-effects smaller and very well tolerated by the patients compared to the conventional treatment for PKDL.”
Before focusing on PKDL, the MSF project in Mymensingh district had already worked since 2010 with the Bangladesh government to improve treatment of primary Kala Azar. That prior collaboration also led to a change in treatment protocol.
“With both Kala Azar and PKDL treatment dramatically improved, Bangladesh is in a great position to continue its fight to eliminate the disease from the country,” Mr. Pagotto added. MSF currently has three projects in Bangladesh, where it first started working in 1985.
New research into treating Post Kala Azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL), done by international medical
humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Mymensingh district has uncovered an improved treatment regimen for the disease.
These findings, which follow a study begun in April 2014, could boost the authorities’ continuing efforts to eliminate Kala Azar from Bangladesh.
Kala Azar is a parasitological disease spread by the bite of infected sandflies. The disease can be fatal if left untreated as it attacks the immune system. PKDL is a reaction of the immune system that 10-15% of patients develop after successful treatment for Kala Azar. Patients with PKDL develop skin lesions which are in themselves harmless, but contain Kala Azar parasites. If a sandfly bites a lesion, it can pick up parasites and then infect other people with Kala Azar by biting them. Persons with PKDL can therefore be reservoirs for transmission of Kala Azar within their community.
“This research has exciting implications for thousands of people in Bangladesh who are either suffering or at risk from Kala Azar,” said Jens Pagotto, MSF’s Bangladesh Country Director. “It is also very significant for people in other countries worldwide who are battling this neglected tropical disease.”
While other treatments for PKDL existed previously, the long treatment courses with painful and toxic side effects prevented many people from completing them. This improved treatment, together with research done by other actors in India, has prompted
the Bangladeshi government to change its protocols for treating PKDL and adopt the new regimen in the National Guidelines.
“The analysis shows very promising results,” says Dr Asish Kumar Das, MSF’s principal investigator. “There had been substantial improvement among more than 80% of the patients. The treatment regimen is short, effective and the side-effects smaller and very well tolerated by the patients compared to the conventional treatment for PKDL.”
Before focusing on PKDL, the MSF project in Mymensingh district had already worked since 2010 with the Bangladesh government to improve treatment of primary Kala Azar. That prior collaboration also led to a change in treatment protocol.
“With both Kala Azar and PKDL treatment dramatically improved, Bangladesh is in a great position to continue its fight to eliminate the disease from the country,” Mr. Pagotto added. MSF currently has three projects in Bangladesh, where it first started working in 1985.
