Descriptive Epidemiology of Human Brucellosis in Oskou County

Brucellosis is one of the most common Zoonotic infections in the world and Iran. Since this disease is more engaged with workforce and community production¡ society is imposed by heavy financial losses. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological aspects of the disease in the Osku County.
Material and This study is a cross sectional descriptive study conducted on all individuals with brucellosis between 2007 and 2014 in the Osku County. Epidemiological data forms for all patients in the surveillance system were analyzed using SPSS version 17.
The most frequency of the disease was in the age group 15-24 years and the lowest prevalence was observed in the age group 1-4 years. Of all cases registered¡ 94.8% were in rural areas and 5.2% were urban. Incidence rate in the total population of the county was 41.15 per hundred thousand. The highest and lowest frequencies are observed in May (Ordibehesht) and December (Azar)¡ respectively. Unpasteurized dairy consumption was recorded in 69.36% of the cases.
Increased incidence in recent years can be attributed to increase in case finding¡ enhanced surveillance system¡ laboratory reporting and likely¡ low vaccination coverage. Given that only about half of the animals with the disease have been vaccinated against brucellosis and since vaccination is the best way to control the disease in animals¡ therefore¡ the costs of vaccination of animals should be regarded as an investment for brucellosis disease control and prevention. This needs proper planning and conducting.