Integrating community efforts, innovative government interventions and data in the fight against kala-azar: lessons from Dumka, India

Kala-azar, a sandfly-borne neglected tropical disease, primarily affects the poorest populations in endemic regions of India. In 2023, India achieved the elimination threshold as a public health problem by reporting <1 case per 10 000 population at the block level across the country. Dumka, one of four kala-azar endemic districts in Jharkhand, was a significant focus of transmission and achieved the target 1 y before, in 2022, sustaining it through today. Strategic, data-driven innovative interventions addressed persistent sociocultural and socio-economic factors that were contributing to the persistence of transmission in Dumka.