Endemic situation of visceral leishmaniasis at Baishikeranmu Township,Kashi City in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during 1996-2006

Objective To review the endemic situation of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) at Baishikeranmu Township,Kashi City in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during 1996-2006. Methods The repots of VL patients during 1996-2006 were collected,summarized and analyzed with EPI DATA 2.1b and EPI INFO 2002. Results The total cases of VL summed up to 722 during 1996-2006.The disease had been prevalence in 17 out of 21 townships.Most cases were concentrated in 2 townships while cases occurred sporadically in the rest of the townships.No significant difference of the incidence could be found between male and female.The highest incidence was in the age-groups of "0-5" and "6-10" accounting for 30.06% and 28.95% of the cases respectively,with a declining tendency when the age increased.The cases increased annually since 1996 and reached the peak in 2002,then gradually decreased year by year. Conclusion Baishikeranmu Township kept being the most heavily prevalent area of VL,thus effective control measures need to be implemented. Key words: Leishmaniasis(Kala-azar); Past cases; Retrospective investigation; Endemic status; Kashi City in Xiniiang Uygur Autonomous Region