Epidemiological Aspects of Human Brucellosis in Azna County, Lorestan Province, West of Iran (2007-2008)

Brucellosis is one of the most common infectious diseases in some areas of Iran. It is a matter of problem in endemic areas, since it involves not only humans and animals but also causes socioeconomic problems. This study is designed to study the epidemiology of brucellosis in the rural and urban population of Azna, and applying the results to planning for controlling the disease in the area. The study is descriptive, cross–sectional, conducted all people identified having brucellosis - based on lab results. Totally 41 brucellosis patients referred to health centers of Azna county during 2007 – 2008 were studied according to epidemiological, demographic, laboratory and treatment protocols aspects. Fourty one subjects were found to be positive to brucellosis in laboratory tests. About 68.3% of patients were female and 31.7% male. Around 95.2 % of subjects were living in rural and 4.8 % in urban area. 46.3 % of patients had history of animal contact. The most common transmission was through dairy products (53.7%). The most contagious seasons were spring and summer. Disease was more common among farmers (29.3%)and housewives (24.4%). Due to the high contamination rate of this disease and its economical consequences on individuals and on society, steps can be taken to prevent its prevalence by good supervision on supplying and distribution of dairy products, animal vaccination, public instruction and alarming.