ProMED, October 23, 2000. Cases of dengue fever are again being reported from New Delhi, the capital of India. The last outbreak occurred in 1996. The dengue transmission season in India usually begins in September. Dengue is endemic in the Caribbean basin.
Most cases occur in crowded urban areas.
Travelers should use insect repellents. Although leishmaniasis is commonly reported from some other parts of India, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Chennai and a few districts of Tamil Nadu, this is the first reported case in Calcutta in about 40 years. Visceral leishmaniasis is caused by the parasite Leishmania donovani and is transmitted to humans by sandfly bites. Sodium stibogluconate, meglumine antimonate, and amphotericin B are the drugs of choice for treatment of this infection. Pentamidine isethionate and paromomycin are alternatives.