The Current Status of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis and the Pattern of Lesions in Ochollo Primary School Students, Ochollo, Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Leishmaniasis is a vector borne disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan leishmania.Objective:To assess the prevalence of cutaneous leishmaniasis and pattern of lesions in Dega Ochollo primary school students, Ochollo, Southwestern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 523 school children aging between 6 to 25 years. The students were physically examined for the presence of scar and active lesions. Skin slit and blood were collected from students with suspected active lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Scraps were cultured in Nicolle-Novy-MacNeal(NNN) medium and serological tests were performed using direct agglutination test (DAT). Results: The overall prevalence of tegumentary leishmaniasis including both scar and active lesions among the 523 students which underwent physical examination was 65.8 %. Besides, the study revealed that 64.8% of the participants had current and/or past lesion of cutaneous leishmaniasis. The prevalence of Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis and recidivan was 0.2% and 0.8%, respectively. Three hundred and thirteen (59.8%) students were with scar and 21(4.01%) were with active lesions whereas 8(1.5%) of the cases had both scar and active lesions. Majority (49.71%) of the participants belonging to the age group 11-15 years old were the most affected group (p-value<0.05). The average number of scars and lesions per patient was calculated to be 1.5 and 1.7, respectively. Majority (64.17%) of the cases had single scars while 22.74%, 7.48%, and 5.61% of them had double, triple, and four and above, respectively. The scars were more localized above the neck (82.16%) where the highest (54.56%) proportion of the scars was distributed on check. Of the 29 participants who had active lesions, 4(13.8%) of them were found to be culture positive and one patient was also positive for DAT out of these culture positive patients. One smear positive sample was also found among the samples which were positive for NNN medium. Conclusions: cutaneous leishmaniasis is prevalent in the area causing disfigurement and resulting social stigmatization. This calls for the implementation of prevention and control measures including treatment of infected individuals.

Determinant Factors and Spatial Distribution of Visceral Leishmaniasis in North Gondar in Selected Hospitals

“…A lot of literatures have also proven that a tremendous importance for greatly affecting the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis. This result is consistent with what was discussed in the literature review by Bugssa, et al [9] that showed travel history to the endemic area was significant factor for the incidence of visceral leishmaniasis disease.…”

“…In this study, elevation and rainfall were the significant factors for visceral leishmaniasis disease within the district at 95% confidence level, which is supported by [9][10][11].…”

Psychosocial impact of scars due to cutaneous leishmaniasis on high school students in Errachidia province, Morocco

“…Social exclusion of CL patients has also been reported elsewhere in literature [8]. In its most extreme form, students equated CL with ‘social death’ due to the visibility of CL scars, which has also been reported by other authors [27–29]. If a CL scar is located on the face, it is perceived as a barrier for marriage and in this traditional society, this can imply ‘social death’ for women.…”

High-resolution habitat suitability model for Phlebotomus pedifer, the vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in southwestern Ethiopia

“…CL particularly occurs in foci on the mountain slopes of the Ethiopian Rift Valley, ranging from North to Southwest and South to Northeast in the country. The described foci are all situated at altitudes ranging between 1700-2700 m and are located in four regional states: Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), Amhara, Tigray and Oromia, and Addis Ababa city administration [6,[9][10][11][12][13][14].…”

“…Ochollo is a well-known CL focus at about 2100 m in southwestern Ethiopia and is considered a model village for research investigating the transmission dynamics of CL [6,9,15]. The area has a rough topography and is characterized by steep slopes, many rocks and basalt cliffs with caves, providing the ideal habitat for P. pedifer and the animal reservoir of the infection, hyraxes [16].…”