title: Human visceral leishmaniasis: a picture from Italy.
abstract: The aim of our study was to describe the distribution of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) in Italy, focusing on HIV-infected patients, to estimate the burden of the disease and the public health actions that should be undertaken. A review of official notifications and hospitalization data has been performed. From 2006 to 2008, a total of 289 cases of VL were notified; the overall notification rate was 1.63/1,000,000 (95% CI 1.45-1.83). In total, 1192 VL-associated hospitalizations were detected, with a hospitalization rate of 6.71/1,000,000 (95% CI 6.34-7.10). For the age group "≤ 24 years", a statistically significant increase was detected (p<0.05). A total of 68.9% (n = 821) of hospitalizations were detected in HIV-positive patients. The geographic distribution of rates revealed a significant increase in the north-eastern area of the country. Our study confirms that the epidemiological pattern of VL is changing and that, in Italy, control measures and preventive strategies should be based on not only the official notification system but also hospital data. This would lead to the identification of areas of parasite spread and to the creation of awareness campaigns geared toward general practitioners in the affected areas. Easy case detection would allow for timely public health actions and strategies for the implementation of more effective interventions for reservoir control.
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Public Health, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia - Università Politecnica delle Marche, Piazza Roma 2, 60100 Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuma Harun
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Abdalmaula
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barbadoro
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marigliano
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Illuminati
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Stanislao
authors.forename: Marcello Mario
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: D'Errico
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prospero
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019371:Topography, Medical; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Geographical distribution.; HIV co-infection; Leishmaniasis; Surveillance; Visceral leishmaniasis/epidemiology