ABSTRACT
Objectives: To observe the cutaneous leishmaniasis [CL] in the flood affectee camps residents of Gari Khairo and Dadu districts of Sindh
Study Design: A Cross sectional study
Place And Duration: Flood affectee camps of Ghari Khairo and Dadu Districts, from July-December 2010
Methodology: A sample of 478 subjects having skin lesions was included in this cross sectional study. Skin lesions were observed clinically for the characteristics peculiar to the CL. Skin smears taken form skin lesions were stained with Giemsa or Leishman stains to detect Leishman-Donovan bodies. Definitive diagnosis of CL was made on the basis of clinical findings and skin smear as defined by WHO. Data was collected on a pre-structured proforma. Verbal consent was sought from the subjects. Variables were presented as frequencies and percentages. The data was analyzed on SPSS version 17.0 [Chicago, IL, USA] for windows release
Results: Out of 478, the CL was diagnosed in 111 [23.22%] subjects. Out of 111 subjects, 56 [50.4%] were male and 55 [49.6%] were female. The mean age in children, male and female was 6.3+/-4.1, 47+/-11.2, and 51+/-9.8 years respectively. The predominant lesions noted were indurated erythematous plaque, followed by plaque with crusted margins, nodules, papules and non-healing ulcers. Most of the CL lesions were noted on face followed by hand, feet and mixed sites respectively
Conclusion: We report that the cutaneous leishmaniasis is spreading in Sindh and unnoticed cases are present as a source of this vector borne disease