Refugees/Immigrants and leishmaniasis in the world's largest hosting country, Türkiye: A systematic review

This systematic literature analysis discusses cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Türkiye, emphasizing the increasing importance of species determination studies and epidemiological research due to the emergence of new causative agents post-2010. It highlights the influx of immigrants and refugees into Türkiye, particularly from the neighboring countries where conflict occur.

The study conducted a systematic review of research on leishmaniasis among refugees/immigrants in Türkiye between 2010 and 2022. A search in literature was carried out via English (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) and Turkish (TRDizin, and Council of Higher Education Thesis Center) databases published between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2022. Two reviewers assessed the full-text articles to determine final eligibility.

A total of 1,356 studies were identified, and 20 studies for CL, two studies for CL/VL and one study for VL (23 studies, 25 data set) were included in this systematic review. In these 22 studies, a total of 4,337 positive CL cases were reported. Among these positives 1,381 cases were diagnosed in Turkish individuals. The remaining 2,956 positive CL cases were the immigrants from different countries including Syria (n=2,925), Iraq (n=13), Afghanistan (n=7), Somalia (n=4), Iran (n=3) and one case each of Libya, Turkmenistan, Tunisia and Morocco. We also identified the presence of 94 positive visceral leishmaniasis cases, with 75 cases being among Turkish individuals and 19 cases among Syrian refugees in three studies.

The systematic review underscores the significance of international epidemiological data sharing and robust health monitoring systems to manage the global public health threat posed by leishmaniasis and other infectious diseases related to population movements.