@article{102505,
  keywords = {Leishmaniasis, Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous, Mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), Pakistan, Human},
  author = {Zahra S and Ali W and Khan H and  Khalid A and  Khattak A and  Khan N and Attiq M and Yang G and Shabbir RMK and Ahmed H},
  title = {A Retrospective Study on Human Cutaneous  Leishmaniasis (CL) and First Report on  Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) from Islamabad,  Pakistan During 2012-2023},
  abstract = {<p>In Pakistan, leishmaniasis is the second most common disease after malaria and is a neglected tropical vector-borne illness that affects public health globally. No previous epidemiological investigation of human leishmaniasis has been reported in Islamabad, Pakistan. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the prevalence of human leishmaniasis for the first time in the study area. The current retrospective study was conducted on suspected cases of human leishmaniasis reported in Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, Islamabad, during the years 2012-2023. All epidemiological and pathological information’s were collected. For statistical analysis, the chi-square (χ2) test was applied, and a p value &lt;0.05 was considered significant. A total of 290 suspected cases of human leishmaniasis were reported, and 87.2% (253/290) were confirmed positive, comprising 97.3% (247/253) cutaneous, 2% (5/253) mucocutaneous, and 0.4% (1/253) visceral leishmaniasis cases. The highest frequency of positive cases was observed in November 2012 (6.2%, 18/290), followed by March 2013 (5.2%, 15/290). The majority of leishmaniasis cases were recorded in the age group 21-30 (24.5%), followed by age groups 31-40 (14.5%) and 11-20 (13.8%), respectively. Gender-wise findings revealed that the number of males (48.9%) were higher as compared to females (38.3%). In addition, the majority (98.6%, 286/290) of the cases had only one lesion formation, and the most frequent lesion sites were skin (42.8%, 124/290) followed by the face and head areas (28.9%, 84/290). The current findings revealed an increase in the frequency of human cutaneous leishmaniasis in Islamabad during 2012 and 2023. However, further epidemiological, and serological studies are required to determine the prevalence of human leishmaniasis in Pakistan.</p>
},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Pakistan J. Zool},
  pages = {1-10},
  publisher = {Zoological Society of Pakistan},
  url = {https://researcherslinks.com/uploads/articles/1752078486_PJZ_MH20240128153014-R2_Zahra%20et%20al.pdf},
  language = {eng},
}