Epidemiological Characteristics and Incidence Rate of Brucellosis in Isfahan Province, Iran, 2012

Brucellosis is a common zoonotic disease, which spread from infected animals to humans. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological characteristics and incidence rate of brucellosis during 2012 in Isfahan province, Iran. This cross-sectional study assessed all the patients with diagnosis of brucellosis in Isfahan province during 2012. We used t and chi-square test for data analysis. The incidence rate was calculated based on per 100’000 of at-risk population. Totally, 575 patients with brucellosis were identified of which, 69.9% were men and 87.7% were from rural areas. Housewives-ranchers and children were the most and least at-risk individuals, respectively. The incidence of the disease was 11.13 per 100’000 of at-risk population in the province, 4.15 in male, 9.64 in women, 1.7 in urban areas and 12.9 per 100’000 of at-risk population ear in rural areas during 2012. In addition, there was significant association between the type of disease (new or recurrent) and county of residence and history of contact with animals (P < 0.05). The incidence of brucellosis in the Isfahan province was less than the national average, and this province classified to have very low incidence. In addition, there were clear differences in the geographical distribution of disease in the province.