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Published on: April 21, 2012
Cutaneous leishmaniasis in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia: epidemiological trends from 2006 to 2021
Raafat Abdel Moneim Hassanein1,2, Adel Galal El-Shemi1, Bader Mohammed Albalawi1,3
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
Introduction:
cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne protozoan skin disease that affects all human ages and can pose extreme social and psychological impacts. This study aimed to reveal the epidemiological trends of CL in the Tabuk region, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), during the period from 2006 to 2021.
Methods:
patients with CL, who were detected and registered at the regional Vector-borne Diseases Control Unit of the Tabuk province, between January 2006 and December 2021, were analyzed in this retrospective study. The patients´ data included their nationality, gender, and age, and their annual and month-by-month recorded patterns.
Results:
a total of 1575 CL patients were reported during the said period. They were 53.1% Saudis and 46.9% non-Saudi expatriates with a ratio around 1.1: 1.0; and they were re-categorized as 83.17% males and 16.83% females with a ratio of 4.9: 1.0 (p <0.5). Additionally, the majority (1002/1575; 63.6%) of these CL patients were in age group of 15-45 years (p <0.5), and the lowest number was in age group of <5 years. Most importantly, there was a continuous annual and month-by-month record of these patients; reflecting CL endemicity in the Tabuk region of KSA.
Conclusion:
the present findings imply that CL is endemic in the Tabuk region of KSA. As there is a recent increase in human immigration to this region, sustainable monitoring of CL and improving its control measures is warranted.
