The national programme for visceral leishmaniasis control aims for elimination of kala-azar as a public health problem in India. This elimination target is formally defined as reducing annual incidence below:
- A 1 case per 10 lakh population at district level
- B 1 case per 10,000 population at district and sub-district (block PHC) level ✓
- C 1 case per 1,00,000 population at state level
- D 1 case per 1,000 population at village level
Correct answer: B. 1 case per 10,000 population at district and sub-district (block PHC) level
Explanation
India's kala-azar elimination target defines elimination as an annual incidence of less than 1 case per 10,000 population at both district and sub-district (block PHC) levels. The most tempting distractor is option A, which is the analogous elimination threshold for tuberculosis under NTEP (less than 1 case per 10 lakh population); students frequently interchange these two programme-specific cutoffs.
Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 26th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.