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Visceral Leishmaniasis in Sub-Himalayan India (1967–2023): A Systematic Review
Abhishek Mewara
Abhishek Mewara
Department of Medical Parasitology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India;
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Prakasini Satapathy
Prakasini Satapathy
Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India;
Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, AL-Mustaqbal University, Babil, Iraq;
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Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, AL-Mustaqbal University, Babil, Iraq;
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Sunil Kumar Dhatwalia
Sunil Kumar Dhatwalia
Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
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Substantial gains have been achieved in the control of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in the four endemic states of India; however, cases are sporadically reported from other nonendemic regions of India such as the sub-Himalayan region, which can be a hurdle to VL elimination. We analyzed VL reports published from the sub-Himalayan regions of India over seven decades (1967–2023) in this systematic review. Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for VL cases from sub-Himalayan regions of India. The demographic data, clinical presentation, diagnostic modality, treatment, outcomes of the cases, and overall year-wise and geographical distribution of the cases were analyzed; studies on the sand fly vector were also included. From 535 articles, 33 studies were included in the analysis. Overall, 228 patients were diagnosed with VL in the sub-Himalayan region of India from 1967 to 2023. These cases were reported from Uttarakhand (n = 178), Himachal Pradesh (n = 39), and Jammu and Kashmir (n = 11). Most patients (88.4%) did not have a history of travel outside their native places. Three pediatric cases were reported from Jammu and Kashmir. The DNA of Leishmania donovani was detected in four of the 52 (7.7%) sand flies collected from Himachal Pradesh. The published literature points toward the existence of local transmission of VL in the sub-Himalayan region of India, strongly substantiated by the emergence of pediatric VL in some places. Thus, these difficult-to-reach hilly states of India will require focused surveillance for VL to successfully achieve elimination goals.
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Author Notes
Current contact information: Abhishek Mewara, Department of Medical Parasitology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, E-mail: abhishekmewara@gmail.com. Prakasini Satapathy, Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India, and Medical Laboratories Techniques Department, AL-Mustaqbal University, Babil, Iraq, E-mail: prakasini.satapathy@gmail.com. Sunil Kumar Dhatwalia, Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India, E-mail: dhatwalias@gmail.com.
| Past two years | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 403 | 403 | 199 |
| Full Text Views | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| PDF Downloads | 13 | 13 | 6 |