Epidemiological Study of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in North of Khuzestan province

Introduction and Objectives: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a Major health problem that usually causes by two species of Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major parasites in Iran. This83present study aimed to investigate some epidemiological aspects of cutaneous leishmaniasis and to indicate the importance of controlling this problem in Andimeshk city.Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive analytical study was conducted from 2013 to 2017. Epidemiological data, including age, sex, location, occupation, number, wound position and residence or travel history of 825 patients inflicted to cutaneous leishmaniasis were recorded and analyzed by SPSS version 17.Result: Most of the patients were suffered from anthroponotic cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ACL) (72.2%). According to the Chi-square test, there was a significant difference between number of ACL and zoonotic cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) (27.8%). Also, there was a significant difference between number of male and female patients inflicted to Leishmaniasis (males were more afflicted to Leishmaniasis). Most of the patients aged 15-24 years old (38.6%) and the age group of less than one year old had the lowest percentage (1.1%). Among the job groups, military subjects were mostly afflicted to Leishmaniasis (42.2%) and other job groups (nongovernmental jobs) had the less percentage (3.2%). Autumn had the most seasonal prevalence (48%). 19.5% of the patients had a history of residence or travelling to the endemic areas and 69.3 % of them didn‟t have these histories.Conclusion: Increasing trend of cutaneous Leishmaniasis in andimeshk district which is mainly common among military groups can indicate transferring ability of the disease to prone areas due to the military groups‟ movement. Therefore, finding the causes of infection in these groups should be considered as priority in order to properly control and prevent spreading of the disease.