Lifetime and Point Prevalence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the South of Iran

Abstract

Background: Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) is a public health problem in many countries in Asia. Fars province in the south of Iran is an area with endemic CL. Objectives: This study aimed to estimate CL’s lifetime and point prevalence in the Fars province’s general population. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 11779 participants living in Marvdasht, the second largest county of Fars province, Iran, in 2019 to estimate CL’s lifetime and point prevalence. In total, 59 urban and 55 rural clusters (with 30 households per cluster) were randomly selected. Door-to-door interviews were conducted by trained nurses to collect the required data. Results: The point prevalence was estimated at 3.56 (95% confidence interval: 2.6-4.8) per 1000 population. The lifetime prevalence of CL was 8.48 (95% confidence interval:7.99-9.00) per 100 population. There was no difference between urban and rural areas and gender regarding fresh or old scars, and CL scares (P ≤ 0.05 for all). Conclusions: Based on the results, Marvdasht in Fars province was the hyperendemic area for CL. Since the lifetime prevalence of CL in Marvdasht is almost 8%, 89% of the people of this city are at risk of contracting Leishmania. As a result, more public health interventions are needed to control the CL epidemic in Marvdasht.