Balurghat (South Dinajpur), Dec 21 (PTI) At least 10 people of an adivasi village in South Dinajpur district's Kushmandi block have been infected with Kala-azar, officials said.

Kala-azar is a form of the disease leishmaniasis marked by emaciation, anaemia, fever, and enlargement of the liver and spleen.

The disease is caused by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sandflies, an official said.

The health department has started spraying insecticides in the village in an effort to stop the disease from spreading.

"Workers of the health department have started visiting villageto give medicines to the infected persons and their families," the Block Medical Officer of Health (BMOH) of Kushmandi, Amit Das, said.

They have also started an awareness camp in the village, he said.

"We are keeping a close watch on the families," the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Kushmandi, Saipa Lama, said.

A total of 46 families live in the adivasi village which is known as Namvyle. PTI CORR SBN SBN 12212017 NNNNdata of thousands of people, and would call them offering fee refunds. They would get the victim to first transfer Rs 10 and then con them into parting with card details, CVV number, passwords etc," he added.

A case has been registered under relevant sections of the IPC and Information Act for cheating and other offences, he said.

It is suspected they also cheated people by posing as loan agents, and the angle was being probed, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)