Situational Analysis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in the Most Important Endemic Area of the Disease in Iran
J Arthropod-Borne Dis, December 2017, 11(4): 482–496 E Moradi-Asl et al.: Situational Analysis of … Original Article Situational Analysis of Visceral Leishmaniasis in the Most Important Endemic Area of the Disease in Iran Eslam Moradi-Asl 1,2, *Ahmad Ali Hanafi-Bojd 1, *Yavar Rassi 1, Hassan Vatandoost 1,3, Mehdi Mohebali 4, Mohammad Reza Yaghoobi-Ershadi 1, Shahram Habibzadeh 5, Sadegh Hazrati 5, Sayena Rafizadeh 6 1Department of Medical Entomology and Vector Control, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran 3Department of Chemical Pollutants and Pesticides, Institute for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 5Department of Infection Disease, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran 6Ministry of Health and Medical Education, National Institute for Medical Research Development, Tehran, Iran (Received 26 Sep 2017; accepted 9 Dec 2017) Abstract Background: Visceral leishmaniasis is one of the most important vector borne diseases in the world, transmitted by sand flies. Despite efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, cases continue worldwide. In Iran, the disease usually occurs in children under 10 years. In the absence of timely diagnosis and treatment, the mortality rate is 95–100%. The main objective of this study was to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of visceral leishmaniasis as well as its correlation with climatic factors for determining high-risk areas in an endemic focus in northwestern Iran.
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