Article ID: JJID.2020.048
Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (ZCL) is one of the most prevalent zoonoses in Iran, especially in its central and northeast parts. This research aims to examine if there are spatiotemporal clusters of the ZCL cases, and if so, whether there are disparities in clustering according to age, gender, home situation, and occupation. The spatial analysis, including global and local spatial autocorrelations, inverse distance weighting, and space-time scan statistics were applied to determine potential clusters in Golestan villages during 2011-2016. Several spatially significant (p < 0.05) clusters were observed in the north and the northeastern regions, where most of them persisted for the last years of the study period. Children (0–10 years) living in rural settings were more likely to have the infection than those living in other areas. Despite the focus of the disease in the northern regions, housekeepers, females, and patients aged 21-30 and 41-50 years were found to be the high-risk groups in the southern areas. The seasonal pattern indicates that the outbreak mainly begins in late summer, peaks in October, and diminishes in December. By exploring spatiotemporal variations of ZCL by sociodemographic information, this study can identify priority areas for health decision-makers and resource allocation.
