Epidemiological study of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghir and Karzin County during 2009 to 2014

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis is a wide spread parasitic disease that usually causes by two species of Leishmania tropica and Leishmania major parasites in Iran. It is estimated that twelve million people, with 1 to 2 million annual new cases are suffering from Leishmaniasis worldwide. This disease is considered as a major public health problem in many countries, including Iran. The outbreak of disease in Fars province is high.. The aim of this study was to evaluate some epidemiological aspects of cutaneous leishmania (Anthroponotic and Zoonotic) disease in Ghir and Karzin County, Fars province, Iran.
This descriptive study was performed on patients with cutaneous leishmanias who were referred to health centers of Ghir and Karzin County in Fars province, Iran. Results were derived from recorded data in health centers. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software.
In this study 393 patients were studied. Out of them, 194 patients (49%) male and 199 (51%) were female. The highest number of patients were for year 2009 with 203 cases and the lowest were for year 2015 with 14 cases. Most patients were in the age range of under 9 years old. The total number of patients in rural areas was slightly more than urban areas. Most cases had occurred during the winter. The average incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis during the six studied years fluctuated from 22 to 101 per hundred thousand.
The results showed no significant difference in leishmaniasis incidence in terms of sex and living places. Most cases observed in winter season which does not match the seasonal patterns of domestic studies. Maximum cases were observed in age range under 9 years old. Results of this study show a considerable decease in the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Ghir and Karzin County during studied years. Key words: Cutaneous leishmaniasis, Epidemiology, Ghir and Karzin.