FREQUENCY OF CUTANEOUS LEISHMANIASIS IN CHILDREN BELOW AGE FIFTEEN OF DISTRICT BAJAUR, KP, PAKISTAN

Abstract

 Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the most common form of leishmaniasis, causes skin lesions, mainly ulcers on exposed parts of the body, leaving lifelong scars and serious stigma. Approximately 95% of cutaneous leishmaniasis cases occur in the Americas, Mediterranean, Middle East, and Asia. Bajaur, a district in the Malakand division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), is endemic for cutaneous leishmaniasis. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of cutaneous leishmaniasis in suspected children below the age of fifteen in District Bajaur. The study also aimed to identify the tehsil-wise and gender-wise frequency of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the seven tehsils of District Bajaur. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2022 to August 2022 at the Leishmaniasis Center of District Headquarters Hospital Khar, Bajaur, KP, Pakistan. The study included 150 samples, each from individuals with one or more lesions on their skin, collected from seven tehsils of District Bajaur. The total samples were grouped into three age groups, with the highest positivity (80%) in the age group of 5-10 years. Of the 86 suspected male patients, 65% tested positive, while 64 suspected female patients had 45 positives for leishmania. In conclusion, the frequency of cutaneous leishmaniasis is high among the local population of District Bajaur. The results showed that 73.33% (110/150) of the suspected patients tested positive for amastigotes, and 26.66% (40/150) tested negative. No significant differences in positivity between males and females were recorded. The most frequent site of the lesion was the face, and the most affected age group was 5-10 years