Cholera Outbreaks Evaluation in Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran

Several hundred thousand people are infected with Vibrio cholera every year worldwide, with a case fatality rate over 2%. Periodic cholera outbreaks are of important health issues in Iran, especially in Sistan and Baluchistan province. In this study, we evaluated cholera out breaks and related factors, during 2010-2013, to improve controlling the disease in this province. In this study, all epidemiologic data about patients with Cholera, during 2010-2013, were evaluated. Afterwards the environmental determinants and management indices were assessed. The largest outbreak occurred in 2013. The incidence rate was significantly higher in men than women (RR = 2.8), in foreign immigrants than the Iranians (RR = 44.1) and in rural population than the urban population (RR = 26.2). The major part of patients, especially the first cases, lived in areas with poor sanitation like immigrant camps or remote villages and did not have access to sanitary water. Problems like poor sanitation and sanitary water access limitation, in rural and remote areas and also in immigrant camps necessitate allocating more resources, better inter-institutional cooperation and more intense border travelling control in this province