Outbreak and Clinical Features of Cutaneous leishmaniasis in 2019 at District Charsadda, KP, Pakistan

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne tropical disease caused by flagellated parasitic protozoans of the genus Leishmania which is one of the furthermost predominant skin diseases around the globe. This study was aimed to find the epidemiological aspects of cutaneous leishmaniasis during the recent epidemic in district Charsadda in 2019. The suspected patients of leishmaniasis from different areas of District Charsadda were examined. We came across 150 cases during four months from September 2019 to Dec 2019. The statistical analyses were done to determine the association among different variables. The study revealed the highest frequency (59.3% n; 150) of infectionin males as compared to the females (40.7% n; 150). The higher incidence of infection was noted in age-group-C 5-14 years (26.0%), followed bygroup-D (15-25) with 24.0% and group-E (25-34) with a 20.6% rate of infection. Ahigher infection was found in hand regions 34% Leg regions 16% and check regions 14%. The finding of the Chi-square independence test between age groups of positive cases and between male and female affected body parts, there was no significant relationship between both populations. It is concluded that cutaneous leishmaniasis has emerged as the main health problem in district Charsadda. The Present study report that the Cutaneous leishmaniasis outbreak in district Charsadda needs an instant response by the healthcare authorities. Moreover, vast awareness campaigns are required for the timely prevention of such outbreaks.