THE PREVALENCE OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS IN EAST OF AHVAZ COUNTY, SOUTH-WESTERN IRAN

Objectives: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a zoonotic parasitological disease. This disease cause always important health challenges for the human communities. It is common in many parts of the globe. This research was designed to determine the epidemiology of CL in East of Ahvaz County during 2003- 2013. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The disease was diagnosed based on clinical examination and microscopic observation of the parasite in the ulcer site. The patient's Information such as age, gender, number and sites of ulcer (s) on the body, month and residence area were recorded. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Totally, 2287 cases were detected during 2003 – 2013. About 53.4% patients were male and 46.4% female. The highest frequency infected age groups were observed in 10-19 years old (n=550 ,24%). Nearly 37 % of the patients had one and 38.1% had three ulcers. The most common location of ulcers were on hands (n=1022, 44.7%) and then on feet (n=501, 21.9%). Totally 1877 of the patients were infected in rural areas. Based on the appearance of the lesion it was found that 410 cases (17.9%) were of the dry type and 1877 cases (82.1%) were wet type. Concluaions: Such high prevalence and incidence rates are alarming and require control and prevention measures. Further epidemiological studies of CL are suggested. Key words: Epidemiology, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Iran.