Deoria: A 19-year-old girl from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, who had a bitter experience with the parasitic disease Leishmaniasis or Kala Azar seven years ago is on a mission to spread awareness about the disease and the preventive measures in this regard. Pinky Chauhan belonging to a middle-class family in Deoria contracted the disease in 2015 when she was 12 years old.
Pinky vividly recalls that the disease had almost got the better of her and it took her a year to recover from the severe illness. Even though the fever has subsided, the illness is still haunting her. She is still suffering from skin problems. “My mother rushed me to the hospital. I felt like I was losing my life. The cost of treatment is also so high,'' she said.
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Going through the harrowing experience, Pinky said she did not want others to suffer like she did and embarked on an awareness mission regarding the disease. She started awareness programmes about the disease in April by visiting schools and colleges in the district and sharing her experiences with the students.
''I am trying to create awareness by talking to at least 20 people every day even on holidays. Along with the precautions, I also educate people about the early symptoms of black fever and the treatment,” said Pinky. She said she has so far educated about 10,000 children about the disease and visited 1,200 houses as part of her awareness programme.
“I will not stop trying until this disease is eradicated,'' she added. Leishmaniasis is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of phlebotomine sand flies.
