Collect data on current incidence and treatment of Visceral Leishmaniasis in India's poorest state; to introduce a new drug which will serve as a safe and affordable cure for this deadly disease.
Visceral leishmaniasis is second only to malaria as the world’s most deadly parasitic disease. It is transported by the bite of sand fly that attacks the internal organs. An estimated 1.5 million people worldwide are currently infected (500,000 new additional cases annually) with at least 200,000 people dying in India annually. OneWorld Health is developing paromomycin as a cost-effective, non-toxic, life-long cure for VL.
The goal of this project is to effectively assess the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis in the most endemic region of the world, Bihar, India. The findings will enable the development of a treatment and cure for this deadly disease.
Project funds will provide for a six month epidemiological research project conducted in Bihar, India. Findings will support the roll-out of the drug paromomycin in 2005.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
