Speaker
Description
Cutanueous leishmaniasis is a negleacted tropical disease that is widely distributed in Morocco. As is a multifactorial parasitic disease, it needs a multidisciplinary approach to reduce it. Enviromental factors can contribute the persistence of the disease through distribution of vectors and reservoirs. In addition, anthroponotic factors such as urbanization, demography and vulnerability of the population can aggravate the situation. Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major, one of the most expanded type in Morocco, has shown significant epidemiological changes over the past two decades, with a geographic expansion to previously unaffected provinces. Leishmania major, is the zoonotic cutaneous form transmitted by Phlebotomus papatasi, most often in the arid regions along the northern edge of the Sahara-desert. The main reservoirs are rodents, especially Meriones shawi. The present study aimed to conduct a spatio-temporal analysis of L. major incidence rate, across hotspots in Morocco over the period from 2003 and 2022. Data on the numbers and distribution of leishmaniasis infections were obtained from annual parasitological reports published from Moroccan Directorate of Epidemiology and Fight Against Diseases (DELM). The spatial analysis covered the most impacted administractive regions that are: Draâ-Tafilalet, Oriental, Sous-Massa and Fes-Meknes regions. The socio-economic data were obtained from the High Commissioner’s Office of Morocco. As well, vegetation intensity values calculated using satellite imagery from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). However, processing images and NDVI extraction perfomed by using ArcMap 10. The statistical analysis was carried out using R software and correlations analysis were done by Pearson's correlation coefficient, with values between -1 and +1. The main results show that the evolution of L. major during the study period shows two peak incidence rates in 2010 and 2018, with significant temporal variation in its dynamics over the study period. While the spacial anlysis reveals that Draâ-Tafilalet is the most infected region. Population less than 10 years old is the most infected. However, Gender does not significantly affect infection rates. Concerning environmental and socio-economic conditions, altitude indicats a positif correlation with L. major incidence rate (r = 0.904, p < 0.001). Where urbanization (r = -0.795, p < 0.01) show a negative correlation, indicating that rural areas are the most impacted. Even so, other variables including NDVI and vulnerability do not indicate a statistical significance. The main outputs highlight that prevention and control strategies against L. major should considered specific areas with high altitude and vulnerable conditions helping decrease the disease's spread.
