Epidemiological study of Visceral Leishmaniasis in Diyala Province, Iraq

The study has been done in the Al-Batool hospital in Baqubah Town, Diyala province on the patients admitted to hospital in the period from January-2015 till January-2016. The aim of the study, is to study the epidemiology and the source with pathogenesis of the visceral Leishmaniasis also the variations about the distribution of the disease between all districts of diyala province. Data were collected from (280) subjects infected with by Visceral Leishmaniasis in the hospital, the study reveal that the highest incidence of disease among the children less than one year of age (43%) and the children in less than two years of age (42%).the incidence was higher in females than in male (female to male ratio is about (1.14: 1). The highest incidence of the disease appeared in patients admitted to the hospital during the period from (January to April) of the (81.3%). In addition the highest incidence of infections was in patients living in Al khalis district (28.9%). The results of the present study showed that the death rate was (7.85%), (4.28% among males and 3.57% among females), but the percentage according to death is (10.8%) in age bellow (12 years). The best accurate method of diagnosis is by using Immune Fluorescent Assay Test (IFAT). (69.6%).