Visceral Leishmaniasis in Benishangul-Gumuz Regional State, Western Ethiopia: Reemerging or Emerging?
Am J Trop Med Hyg
; 95(1): 104-8, 2016 07 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27139445
ABSTRACT
Kala-azar is a growing public health problem in Ethiopia. Benishangul-Gumuz regional state was previously not known to be endemic for the disease. In response to a case report from the region, we conducted a rapid assessment survey. A pretested questionnaire was used to capture sociodemographic and clinical histories pertinent to kala-azar. Study participants with complaints of fever and headache for 2 weeks or more were tested for kala-azar and malaria. All participants were screened with the leishmanin skin test and the direct agglutination test for exposure to Leishmania, defined as a positive result with either or both tests. Of 275 participants, 20 were exposed giving an overall leishmaniasis seroprevalence rate of 7.3%. Among the 20 positive individuals, 19 were farmers and nine of them reported no travel history outside their district. It appears that kala-azar is emerging in Dangur and Guba districts of Benishangul-Gumuz regional state, probably in connection with human encroachment into one or several previously out-of-reach zoonotic foci. We recommend integrated epidemiological surveys for confirmation and early containment of disease transmission in the area.
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Doenças Transmissíveis Emergentes
/
Leishmaniose Visceral
Tipo de estudo:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País como assunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article