Recent Epidemiological Profile of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Iranian Military Personnel

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the zoonotic diseases caused by protozoa of trypanosomatidae family. The cutaneous type with various manifestations is endemic in Iran and affects people of many provinces. Outbreaks may occur in military personnel who deploy these endemic areas. Objectives: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the most important epidemiologic features of leishmaniasis in Iranian military personnel from 2005-2010. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data was gathered from the regional passive surveillance system of the Iranian army and double checked by the Deputy of Health of Aja University of Medical Sciences. Analysis was performed by the STATA Software using appropriate statistical functions. Results: During the 6 years of study, 3767 cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis were reported, 15% of the total reported infectious diseases (excluding upper respiratory infections, which were not included in this study). Cutaneous leishmaniasis was the third most prevalent infectious disease. Sixty nine percent of cases were reported in autumn. Most were related to three provinces: Isfahan, Khuzestan and Bushehr. Two thirds of the reports were from the Air Force. Conclusions: There has been a decline in the overall trend of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the recent years, but there are still peaks in some provinces particularly during autumn. Army health commanders must do their best to prevent the disease and control its cycle, especially in high endemic areas. Keywords: Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous; Military Personnel; Epidemiology; Iran