Kala-azar in pregnancy in Mymensingh, Bangladesh; a social autopsy

Kala-azar, meaning “black-fever,” is the local term in South Asia for visceral leishmaniasis. Kala-azar is targeted for elimination from South Asia by 2015. The control programme aims to reduce the annual incidence to less than one per 10,000 people [1]. The disease is usually fatal if untreated [1], and the case fatality rate is higher among women than men [2], [3]. Kala-azar among pregnant women places the foetus and mother at high risk of fatal outcomes [4], [5]. Moreover, women experience longer delays than men in seeking care and treatment for kala-azar, a problem well documented in Bangladesh [2]. Few studies have explored the personal and social dimensions of kala-azar, and even fewer have addressed the issues faced by women in pregnancy [2].