Faezeh Norouzinejad
Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Title: A three-year epidemiological study on cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ilam Province, Iran
Biography
Biography: Faezeh Norouzinejad
Abstract
Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a major public health problem throughout the world and particularly in Iran. Because the rural form of this disease is endemic to Ilam and other Iranian provinces, the present study sought to determine the epidemiological status of leishmaniasis over a three-year period (2011-2013). Based on the national protocol for leishmaniasis control, samples were collected from suspicious lesions. Therapeutic Educational Center personnel completed forms to provide information on patients’ personal information and disease related characteristics. This information was converted to Excel spreadsheets and were analyzed using SPSS. The results showed that 2026 leishmaniasis cases occurred from 2011 to 2013. The disease’s annual incidence rate for each year was 154 (2011), 94.23 (2012) and 98.52 (2013) cases per 100,000 persons. The majority of patients (55.8%) suffered from rural cutaneous leishmaniasis. By gender, the incidence rates of the disease for 2011, 2012 and 2013 were 194.34, 113.39 and 62.92 cases per 100,000 population among men and 112.05, 74.50 and 70.22 cases per 100,000 among women, respectively. The age group of 15-24 year olds consisted of the highest proportion of patients (22.3%), followed by children under 15 years (19.6%). Most of the cases occurred in three cities: Dehloran (960), Mehran (562) and Ilam (197). Although the results of this study showed that the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ilam Province has been declining, there is a possibility for the province’s disease burden to increase.