CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS: EVALUATION OF 248 CASES IN SHUSHTAR COUNTY, SOUTH-WEST OF IRAN

Objectives: leishmaniasis is one of six major tropical diseases that the World Health Organization has supported study and research about various aspects of the recommendations. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is considered a common parasitic disease. This study was performed to determine the frequency of patients with CL and the epidemiological situation in the county of Shushtar during 2009- 2013. Methods: In this descriptive study, information about subjects such as age, gender , number and location of wounds , city or village , month and season collected and have been interpreted with SPSS software and descriptive statistics. Results: Totally, 248 cases have detected during this study. About 82.7 percent percent of patients had more than 10 years of age and most cases (66.1 percent) were found in males. Nearly 48.4 percent of patients had one ulcer and 37.1 percentage of the wounds were observed on the hands and then in feet, face and in other parts of the body. Approximately 83.9 percent were in rural areas and most cases were in March month (16.9 percent). Conclusions: According to the environmental conditions for sand fly activity in some months in this area prevention and treatment of patients in urban and rural areas of Shushtar is a key priority. Key words: Epidemiology, Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Iran