Comparative Study of Contagious Diseases and Their Related Risk Factors in the Children and Adults Pilgrims Referred to Educational and Treatment Centers in Ilam on the Day of Arbaeen in 2017

Travelling to places where the population density is high often causes the transmission of infectious diseases; thus, not complying with hygiene standards can result in an increase in infectious diseases.

The current study aimed at investigating contagious diseases and their related risk factors among the pilgrims admitted to Ilam educational and treatment centers on the day of Arbaeen in 2017.

The study population consisted of 105 patients. The research instrument was a checklist including two parts: demographic characteristics and information about infectious diseases; SPSS version 19 was used for data analysis.

The sample size consisted of 63 male and 42 female patients. The age groups highly affected by infectious diseases were above 60 and under 20 years including 28 patients (26.7%). The disease associated with the highest mortality rate was acute gastroenteritis with severe dehydration, causing four deaths (30% of mortality rates). There was a significant correlation between age and gender of patients and WBC, urea, and creatin variables (P < 0.05).

The study findings indicated that children and elderly were more prone to infectious diseases. Compliance with hygiene standards can help to control and prevent the spread of infectious diseases in communities.