Epidemiological Aspects of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Larestan City, 2007

Background: Leishmaniasis is transmitted by the bite of infected female phlebotomine sand flies. It is estimated that there are 12 million cases of disease worldwide and there are 0.9–1.3 million new cases annually.Objectives: This study was carried out to determine the epidemiological aspects of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) in Larestan City, 2007.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, the data of 1051 CL cases referred to health centers of Larestan University of Medical Sciences were collected. SPSS version 25 was used to report descriptive statistics.Results: The mean age of the participants was 17.76 ± 8.52 years. The disease had the highest frequency (48.1%) in 0–10 age groups and the youngest was only 2-month old and the oldest patient was 84 years old. 56.1% were female and 43.9% were male. The location of lesions was different; 39 % of the patients had a lesion on their hands, 23.6 % on face, 12.2% on feet and 0.7 % on trunk. About (24.5%) of these patients had multiple lesions spread all over their bodies.Conclusion: The results of our study confirmed that CL is endemic in many parts of rural and urban areas of Larestan district. According to many reasons, including socioeconomic and psychological problems, the disease should be controlled. To control the disease, much attention should be given to improve the environment conditions and public health education

Keywords:

Leishmaniasis , Epidemiology , Iran