title: Epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in Algeria: an update.
abstract: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a zoonotic disease caused by Leishmania infantum, is endemic in Algeria. This report describes a retrospective epidemiological study conducted on human VL to document the epidemiological profile at national level. All human VL cases notified by the National Institute of Public Health between 1998 and 2008 were investigated. In parallel all VL cases admitted to the university hospitals of Algiers were surveyed to estimate the underreporting ratio. Fifteen hundred and sixty-two human VL cases were reported in Algeria between 1998-2008 with an average annual reported incidence rate of 0.45 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, of which 81.42% were in the age range of 0-4 years. Cases were detected year-round, with a peak notification in May and June. One hundred and seventy patients were admitted to the university hospitals in Algiers in the same period, of which less than one in ten had been officially notified. Splenomegaly, fever, pallor and pancytopenia were the main clinical and laboratory features. Meglumine antimoniate was the first-line therapy for paediatric VL whereas the conventional amphotericin B was used for adult patients. Visceral leishmaniasis in Algeria shows the epidemiological profile of a paediatric disease with a decrease of the annual reported incidence rate. However, vigilance is required because of huge underreporting and an apparent propagation towards the south.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Sciences, University Saad Dahlab, Blida, Algeria; Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adel
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Information, National Institute of Public Health, Algiers, Algeria.
authors.forename: Amel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boughoufalah
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Applied to Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: Claude
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saegerman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Redgi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Deken
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Beni Messous, Algiers, Algeria.
authors.forename: Zahida
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bouchene
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Beni Messous, Algiers, Algeria.
authors.forename: Abdelkrim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soukehal
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Berkvens
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boelaert
mesh_terms: D000462:Algeria; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies