Investigation of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Hamidieh County in 2016-2020

Considering the importance of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Iran and Khuzestan province, a study was designed to investigate the frequency, incidence, and distribution of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Hamidieh County from 2016-2020.

In this retrospective study, the recorded information of the affected patients was collected over the years in Hamidieh County and analyzed using SPSS software version 26.

Out of 128 patients identified in Hamidieh County during the considered years, 80 (%62.5) were men, and 48 (%37.5) were women, with an average age of 21.01 years. The most cases were reported in autumn and winter and the least were reported in spring. A total of 93 people (%72.7) were rural residents and the rest were urban residents. In terms of occupation, the most affected people (not including children) were military personnel with 24 cases (%25.8) and the least related to drivers and other occupations with 2 cases (%2.2). Among the affected people, 8 people (%6.3) had a history of traveling to endemic areas. Approximately, 57 people (%44.5) had one wound, and the hand was the most involved organ. The lowest and highest incidence rates were 5.98 and 2.34 per 10000 people, respectively in 2017 and 2018. Among the areas, the Hamidiyeh and Saman Al-Aima barracks have had disease reports throughout the years.

The incidence of the disease in Hamidieh County has generally decreased, however,basic training is necessary to minimize the incidence.