Investigating the Epidemiological Characteristics and Incidence Trends of Malta Fever in Lorestan Province, Iran, from 2015 to 2018

Abstract

Background: Malta fever or brucellosis is still one of the most challenging issues related to health and economy in many countries such as Iran. The purpose of this study was to investigate the epidemiological situation and the trend of disease incidence during the years 2015 to 2018 in Lorestan Province, Iran. Methods: This research was a retrospective analytical-descriptive cross-sectional study that was conducted on people with brucellosis using the data available in the health centers of Lorestan Province. The disease incidence index was calculated by year for all years. The relationship between the incidence of disease with age, gender, employment status, place of residence, contact history, contact type, and livestock vaccination history by city was analyzed using chi-square test and SPSS software. Findings: 5841 cases of brucellosis patients were identified. The highest rate of incidence was in 2015 in Sepid Dasht City with 1783 cases and the lowest rate was in 2018 in Kuhdasht City with 30 cases per hundred thousand people. One of the reasons for the difference in the incidence of the disease at the province level was the different ratio of urban and rural population in each city. In all the studied years, there was a significant difference between the frequency of contact with livestock and the city of residence (P = 0.001). Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it is possible to use the necessary training for high-risk groups and effective health behaviors to prevent and reduce the disease. © 2024, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.