Epidemiology of cutaneous leishmaniasis

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic in over 80 countries. In the Americas, it is widely distributed from southern Texas to northern Argentina. Other endemic areas include the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Iran and North East Africa. In Pakistan, it has become a particular health problem in many regions of the country. The disease occurs in varying presentations, from the self-limited and even self-healing cutaneous forms to fatal systemic disease. Systemic leishmaniasis is rarer in Pakistan and invariably fatal if not treated promptly. Present article is an attempt to review the global as well as national distribution of cutaneous form of the disease. Brief clinico-epidemiological overview of the disease is given and few basic terms related to epidemiology and clinical epidemiology are also defined below