01636nas a2200253   4500000000100000008004100001260005400042653001700096653001300113653002400126100001600150700001300166700001400179700001100193700001400204700001200218700001200230700002200242700002000264245006400284856004200348520096700390022002501357       2021                            d  bAmerican Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene10aParasitology10aVirology10aInfectious Diseases1 aMerdekios B1 aPareyn M1 aTadesse D1 aGetu S1 aAdmassu B1 aGirma N1 aLeirs H1 aVan geertruyden J1 avan Griensven J00aDetection of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Foci in South Ethiopia  uhttps://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-07083 a<jats:p>Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major public health problem in Ethiopia. The disease is endemic in Ochollo, a village in southern Ethiopia, but there are no reports of CL in the wider area, although it is ecologically very similar. We conducted a rapid assessment survey in the South Ethiopian Rift Valley and found 100 parasitologically confirmed CL cases in 38 villages not reported endemic for CL. Approximately half of the cases were children (57%), and most lesions occurred on the face (78%) and were older than 6 months (77%). Only 2% of the people was aware of the mode of transmission, and 9% sought modern treatment at a hospital. These preliminary data indicate that CL is much more widespread than previously reported and that the disease might have a large psychosocial impact. Hence, this study calls for larger surveys across the Ethiopian highlands. Additionally, health education and treatment capacity need to be implemented.</jats:p>  a0002-9637, 1476-1645