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Knowledge about sandflies in relation to public and domestic control activities of kala-azar in rural endemic areas of Bihar.

Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) control is a global cause of concern. To identify the gaps in People's knowledge/awareness about sand flies and control activities of kala-azar in rural endemic areas of Bihar, this study consisting of 450 respondents with 288 male and 162 female was carried out. The result showed that 95% respondents had heard about the disease up to some extent, but majority respondents were neither aware about the vector of kala-azar, nor they had any idea about transmission of the disease. About 61% had wrong impression that mosquitoes were causing kala-azar. Regarding knowledge about breeding and resting sites of vectors, 20% reported cattle shed, 16% crevices in the household followed by 15% damp dark places. The attitude of respondents towards vector control programme was poor, as 99% lost faith in the DDT spraying because of ineffectiveness, like no reduction in mosquito nuisance. Bed net was considered the best protection method against sand fly or mosquito nuisance but the cost was considered the major constraint in its use. Proper health education programme in Simple and local language along with visual demonstration should be promoted to enhance the awareness and co-operation at community level.