Frequency and characteristics of Brucellosis in Golestan Province, Iran

ACKGROUND: Brucellosis is a common widespread zoonotic disease between humans and livestock with significant economic and health problems caused by various species of Brucella. The disease is a significant public health issue throughout the world and one of the most socioeconomic problems in many developing countries. This study aimed to report the information available at the Provincial Health Center about the frequency and characteristics of patients with Brucellosis in Golestan Province, Iran. METHODS: This study was analytic-descriptive cross-sectional. The study population included all patients with Brucellosis diagnosed from 2011 to 2015 in the health center of Golestan Province, based on the serological method. The data gathering tool was a questionnaire that included demographic information, clinical presentation and examinations, history of exposure, laboratory findings, and treatment protocols. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequency and mean ± standard deviation (SD) and analyzed by SPSS software. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 1788 cases of Brucellosis were reported. The number of male cases was 1163 (65.04%) and female cases were 625 (34.95%). People who had a history of contact with infected animals were younger than the others. Musculoskeletal pain (79.69%) and fever (76.45%) were the most commonly reported clinical symptoms. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results indicate that Brucellosis is still a health problem in the province. The high incidence of Brucellosis in villages, the lack of full coverage of animal vaccination, and the link between the disease and livestock businesses are significant.