Karbala Governorate, Iraq: Multi-Facility Geographic Distribution, Seasonality, And Age And Sex Demographic Risk Study Of Leishmaniasis

Abstract

Background: The cutaneous (CL) and visceral (VL) forms of leishmaniasis are prevalent in Iraq, and therefore, Karbala Governorate in specific is a major public health issue in Iraq. This study of the epidemiology of leishmaniasis in Karbala focused primarily on its seasonality, geographic distribution, sex-related inequities and age susceptibility across five Karbala area health facilities. Methods: The five sentinel health facilities that were examined using cross-sectional retrospective study of confirmed cases of leishmaniasis were Ain Al-Tamr Hospital, Al-Hussein Medical City, Al-Hindiya Hospital, Al-Hussainiya Hospital and the Children Hospital. The size of the population screened was 62,374. The diagnosis was proven by direct microscopy and clinical examination. The variables used to stratify the data were month, sex, age bracket and location. Chi-square analysis was employed in order to measure geographical variance. Findings: The total rate of infection was 0.300 and 186 cases of leishmaniasis were confirmed. The number of cases of cutaneous leishmaniasis was 178 and the cases of visceral leishmaniasis were 8 and were only seen in children. Among all the sites, the Ain Al-Tamr Hospital had the highest infection rate of 6.584 percent (p < 0.0001; chi-square = 702.75). Between December and February when temperatures were lower, there was a distinct seasonal high. The largest age group was children aged 110 and the proportion of all cases in this age group was 34.83%. It turned out that at the majority of the sites, there was a modest male majority. Conclusion: In Karbala, children under the age of 10 years are disproportionately infected by leishmaniasis and the disease seems to be geographically and seasonally clustered with the activity of sand flies. These findings have significant implications on the policies and targeted measures on vectors in the region, as far as the health of the populace is concerned.