STRUCTURE AND DISTRIBUTION OF LEADING ZOONOSES IN VOJVODINA IN 2000-2009 PERIOD

Abstract

The data show that from more than 1.400 today known microorganisms, that cause infections in human population, 61% is of animal origin. The list of known zoonoses is enlarged every day, new diseases are recognized and discovered. Because of this, zoonoses are significant health and economical problem in the world. The participation of these diseases in national pathology of the inhabitants of certain area depends on the presence and number of foci, type of reservoir species, application and efficency of prophylactic measures. The goal of this paper is to analyze the structure and distribution of leading zoonoses in the population of AP Vojvodina. The analysis is made according to the data from the register of infectious diseases - Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute for Public Health of Vojvodina. The period included in this study is from 2000 to 2009. From 70 infectious diseases, which are to be declared according to national legislative, half of them are zoonotic diseases. In this analysis we treat only zoonotic diseases and vector borne zoonotic diseases registered in past 10 years. In the period included in this study 15 zoonotic diseases and vector borne zoonoses have been registered in AP Vojvodina. The highest level of incidence is for lyme disease, with the average 9,91/100.000 and trichinellosis with the average 6.40/t 100.000 (Table 1). Toxoplasmosis, Q fever, leptospirosis and echinococcosis have been registered in Vojvodina regularly, and the average incidence is below 1/100.000. The range from minimal to maximal registered incidence shows that there was not a significant difference in epidemiological situation of these diseases. Other zoonoses have been registered rarely and occasionally, as autochthonous or imported diseases (leishmaniasis). In this group of diseases 41 deaths have been registered. Most of it was caused by tetanus and leptospirosis. The lethality rate of tetanus was 54.55% and the patients were of the oldest age. Lethality rate from leptospirosis was 12.0%, and unlike tetanus, the patients belonged in the middle age group. The registered incidences of zoonoses in human population do not present the real situation because of the diagnostic and rapid recognition of symptoms. Some vector borne zoonotic diseases, like for example tick born meningoencephalitis and West Nile Virus fever, which regularly occur in Europe and surrounding countries, have not yet been registered in our region and Serbia. However, the risk from the infections and a possibility of occurrence is not eliminated.