Epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Southeastern Iran.

In order to study the epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) in Zabol, situated in the Southeast of Iran, this study was performed. Two thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine cases of tuberculosis disease were identified during 1998-2002. The notification rate was 135/100,000 population in 2002, which was higher than this rate in previous years. The notification rate of TB in Afghan population was significantly higher than Iranian population (202 cases/100,000 in Afghan and 122 cases/100,000 in Iranian population. The case notifications in 1998-2001 were 134, 131, 130, and 130 in 100,000 populations, respectively. The prevalence of smear-positive cases was 76/100,000 population in 2002 and the ratio of smear-positive cases to smear-negative and extrapulmonary cases was 1.46. This region remains high TB rates. It is necessary to pay attention to the detection of TB, by making their register in order to enhance the effectiveness and to reduce the cost of existing methods.

A six-year study on Vibrio cholerae in southeastern Iran.

Cholera continues to be an important public health problem among many poorer communities. In order to determine the epidemiology of Vibrio cholerae in southeastern Iran, 3,594 patients with watery diarrhea, who were referred to the hospitals from Zabol city and 45 neighboring rural populations of Sistan-Blouchestan province, were investigated over a period of 6 years (1997 - 2002). V. cholerae strains were isolated from 362 samples (10.07%). Isolation of V. cholerae in this sample decreased from 22.47% in 1997 to 0% in 2002. Individuals of all ages and social and economic strata were affected. Among the patients with cholera in the present study, only 24 (6.6%) lived in an urban area; 270 (74.6%) of the patients had been referred from rural areas, and the remaining 68 (18.8%) were from neighboring Afghanistan. V. cholerae O1 Ogawa and NAG vibrios were found in 92.8 and 7.2% of patients, respectively. Among the 362 samples, 244 were collected from inpatients and 118 were from outpatients. Twelve of these patients died because of the severity of their disease, severe dehydration and electrolytes imbalance. The priorities for cholera control remain public health interventions through improved water and sanitation, improved surveillance and access to health care facilities, and further development of appropriate vaccines.