A cross-sectional study on the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Kabul, Afghanistan form 2020 to 2021

Abstract

Background: Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected diseases in several countries, but Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, is the largest center of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the world. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in Kabul during 2021 and 2022. [Methods: The present study was a descriptive-cross-sectional retrospective study. It was done based on the information of patients who visited the NMLCP from January, 21, 2021 to October 29, 2022, for the diagnosis of leishmaniasis. Required information including age, gender, type, number and location of the lesion, and date of the visit were extracted from the hospital database. Results: The result of this study showed that the highest rate of CL was in 2021 and the lowest was in 2022. Most infected were children. Face lesion was the most common lesion in the patients and most of the infected patients had one lesion while others had more lesions. Conclusion: in this study, we demonstrated that 12,292 people were infected with CL in Kabul in 2021 and 2022. The cutaneous leishmaniasis epidemicity in Afghanistan is mainly due to poverty, lack of access to health services, cultural and social barriers, lack of vector control, destruction of public health infrastructure, poor access to health services, and migration of people from non-endemic regions to endemic provinces.