Epidemiological Situation of Mucocutaneous Leishmaniasis in Yemen: A Descriptive Study in the Period from January 2017 to December 2022
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65693/j21umas.2024.v3i1.200Keywords:
Cutaneous Leishmania, sand fly, neglected disease, skin disease, YemenAbstract
Background: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is endemic in all regions of Yemen, but the true incidence of the disease is not well known. Its burden is underestimated because many cases are not registered. The disease needs careful diagnosis as its manifestations overlap with many other conditions.
Objective: To determine the epidemiological situation of mucocutaneous leishmania in Yemen during the period from January 2017 to December 2022.
Results: The study included 3306 cases of CL. Males represented 60% (n=1984). Patients under 5-year-old accounted for 13% (n=430), those between 5 and 15 years accounted for 31% (n=1024), and those above 1 5 years represented 56% (ne l 852).
Regarding annual rate of cases registered through 6 years; from 2017 to 2022, they were distributed as follows: 17.2% (n=567), 19.9% (n=657), 14.2% (n 470), 12.9% (n=425) 18% (n=597), and 17.8% (n=590) respectively. The load of cases was concentrated in Sana'a Governorate (28.2%) and the Secretariat (21.7%), followed by Thamar (8.9%), Amran (7.8%), Ibb (5%), Hajjah (4.2%), Almahweet (4%), Taiz (3.4%), Albaidaha (3.1 %), Raymah (3.1 %), Aljawf (2.9%), and Aldhale'a (2.5%). Most patients (97.5%; n=3225) presented by cutaneous lesions while 2.5% (n=81) had mucocutaneous lesions. In regard to phenotype, 52% (n=1719) of cases presented with ulcerative crusty lesions, 20.4% (n=675) presented as papulonodular, 12.2% (n=402) presented as plaques, 9.4% (n=311) presented as impetigo form, and 2.5% (n=81) presented as mucocutaneous.
Conclusion: Cutaneous leishmaniasis have been registered in almost all governorates and concentrated in northwest and central region of Yemen. An effective strategy for the control of leishmaniasis should be adopted by the national health authorities.
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