Epidemiological aspects of brucellosis in Jordan

From January 1988 to December 1997, a total of 7842 cases of human brucellosis were registered at the Ministry of Health in Jordan. A link was found to exist between the lambing season and the occurrence of the infection. The number of cases was found to be the lowest in children below 4 years and highest in the 5-14-years age group. Incidence of the infection was calculated per 100,000 population. The lowest incidence of brucellosis was 16.7 and this was detected in the year 1988, whereas the highest was 29.9 and this was observed in 1991. Evidence is provided which indicates that notified cases of human brucellosis in Jordan do not reflect the actual frequency but rather underestimate the extent of the infection.