A cross-sectional survey on cutaneous leishmaniasis in Dasht-e Azadegan County, southwest of Iran (2014-2018)

Background: Leishmaniasis is a parasitic neglected tropical disease caused by infection with the intracellular Leishmania parasite that transmitted by the bite of a female phlebotomine sand fly. The most common form of disease is cutaneous leishmaniasis that effect on humans. Khuzestan Province is one of the endemic foci of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran.Objectives: The present research was aimed to determine the epidemiologic profile of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Dasht-e Azadegan, southwest of Iran.Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional survey was performed in Dasht-e Azadegan County, Khuzestan Province based on cutaneous leishmanisis cases during 2014-2018. All data, including gender, age, geographical area (city or village), season of incidence, number and site of ulcer, were obtained passively from the health care network of in the study area. The information was registered and analyzed by SPSS ver.24.Results: The number of people with cutaneous leishmaniasis infection in five-year period was 1320 persons, of which 720 patients were male (54.5%) and 600 people were female (45.5%).Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, Postal Code: 61357-15794, E-mail: [e-mail] & Tel: [phone])The majority of the patients was related to the age group of 0-10 years (38%) and the minimum percent frequency of the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis reported in the age group of 90 years and more than 90 years old (0.1%). About, 61.7% of people lived in the city and others resides in rural. The most lesion was observed on hand (28.8%) and 59.5% of them had one ulcer. Furthermore, the highest seasonal incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis was happened during winter and especially in January (23.6%).Conclusion: According to the result of the study, the effective programs are needed in order for prevention using educating at risk people and increasing their knowledge about the cutaneous leishmaniasis cycle and control of the vector and reservoir.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cutaneous leishmaniasis ، Epidemiology ، Khuzestan ، Iran