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Tickborne relapsing fever in Israel
Gil Sidi1, Nadav Davidovitch, Ran D Balicer
1Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, New York, USA.
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|December 2, 2005
Summary
Relapsing fever incidence declined in Israeli civilians but remained high in military personnel. This suggests the tick-borne illness and its vectors persist in Israel.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Entomology
Background:
- Relapsing fever is a tick-borne illness caused by Borrelia species.
- Understanding disease epidemiology is crucial for public health interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the incidence and trends of relapsing fever in Israel from 1971 to 2003.
- To assess the epidemiological patterns in civilian and military populations.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of relapsing fever cases reported in Israel.
- Calculation of annual incidence rates per 100,000 persons for civilian and military populations.
Main Results:
- Civilian relapsing fever incidence decreased from 0.35 to 0.11 cases per 100,000 annually.
- Military personnel exhibited an average incidence of 6.4 cases per 100,000 annually.
- A significant difference in incidence was observed between the two populations.
Conclusions:
- Relapsing fever continues to be a public health concern in Israel.
- The persistent incidence, especially in military personnel, indicates the ongoing presence of the pathogen and its tick vectors.
- Further surveillance and control measures may be warranted.