Epidemiological trends of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Biskra district, Algeria

Abstract

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL); caused by protozoa of the Leishmania genus, presents a public health concern in Algeria. This study aims to uncover the epidemiological patterns of CL in Biskra Province, Algeria, during the period of 2005 to 2020. The diagnosed patients with CL are registered at the health centers with some information's including sex, age, address. During the survey 43895 CL patients were recorded and the incidence of CL was declining at a stable rate, especially during the last 5 years. The registered cases of CL were distributed through all Biskra district and  the most affected areas were Biskra  town with 30.1%, followed by Sidi Okba with 10.33% and Zeribet El Oued with 7.33%. Furthermore, 43.3% of the patients were female and 56.7% were male. The highest incidence was found among patients in two age groups, ranging from 0–14 and 20–44 years old, with an incidence of 46.8% and  17.3% respectively. The analysis revealed that the highest frequencies of CL occurred in autumn and the lowest one in the summer period. A definite declining trend in the incidence of CL was noted and this imposes special public health measures in order to control the epidemiological disease in Algeria.