Prevalence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis during 2014-2018 in Shahroud County, Northeast of Iran

Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), as an arthropod borne infection, is one of the most noticeable global health problems, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Generally, two main types of this zoonotic disease exist in Iran, namely anthroponotic and zoonotic CL caused by Leishmania tropica (L. tropica) and L. major, respectively. There are annually some cases of CL in Shahroud County. Determining the occurrence of CL is one of the most effective aspects of planning control strategies.Objectives: The current study aimed to investigate the epidemiological state of CL during 2014-2018, in Shahroud County.Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out on all registered patients of CL (382 cases), who referred to the Health Centers in Shahroud County in a 5-year period. All available demographic and epidemiological data of patients such as age, sex, occupation, year, type of region of residence (urban or rural), the history of travelling to the endemic areas, and location of the lesions on patient’s body, were analyzed, using SPSS23 software.Results: The results of this study revealed 382 cases of CL in Shahroud County. The incidence rate of CL varied by age groups and gender, and the most prevalent cases of the disease had been observed in 1-10 years age group (24.3%), and male (56.3%), respectively. In this study, the highest number of patients recorded in rural areas (84.3%). The results also showed that the most lesions were observed on the hands.Conclusion: In the present study, the most prevalent cases of CL observed in 1-10 years age group and male that may be due to their presence in outdoors, and exposure to sand fly biting. In addition, the most lesions were recorded on hands that may be influenced by many factors such as the covering status of the body, sand fly preferred site of biting climate and environmental conditions, and people s culture and lifestyle. The results of this study revealed that CL is endemic in some areas of Shahroud County, especially in rural regions, thus proper disease prevention and control strategies should be seriously monitored, and established in these areas

کلیدواژه ها:

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) ، sand fly ، Shahroud