Prevalence of Brucellosis in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran from 2009 to

Brucellosis, with regard to public health and its impact on socio-economic status of society is important matter in
the world that can be transmitted to humans through contact with animals or their products as an occupational
hazard to persons. Thus, its prevention, control and eradication are a major challenge for public health policy
makers. This survey analyzes the prevalence of brucellosis in West Azarbaijan province, Iran. This was a
descriptive-analytical study in which 152 cases of brucellosis from 2009 up to 2010. The cases were defined by
clinical symptoms and confirmed by a positive standard agglutination test. Titer 1:80 or greater using standard tube
agglutination method was estimated as a positive result. Information about the sex, age, location, occupational risk,
contact with the animals recorded by health stuff. Patient’s data was analyzed and described by using SPSS
software and analyzed with T test and X2. 152 cases were studied. Most of them were male. (63.16%) and married
(65.7%). Mean age of them was (37.46) in the female group. The mean age of patients was 36.84 years. The mean
age in rural patients was 31.23 years and in urban 39.56 years old. Their hospitalization period was from 1 to 14
days (Mean: 7.5 days). The epidemic peak occurs in May (31.5%) that is closely related to the months associated
with delivery and abortion in animals, it might be expected that occupational exposure, production and consumption
of fresh cheese would result in a peak of human cases in this month .Most of them were lived in Urmia city and
vicinity. Any of them were taught about prevention of disease. There was a relationship between sex with age
(p<0.001) and with place of living (p<0.05). Farmers are more affected but, as females are mostly cooperating in
stockbreeding tasks, homemaker females are also greatly affected. In villages, students also take share in
stockbreeding tasks and help their parents, so the prevalence rate is also high among them. In other surveys, contact
with livestock and husbandry are also forming some of risk factors. According to this study, cattle breeders in
villages are the most affected groups. People training, about transition paths, prevention methods, food supply and
delivery supervising could decrease disease prevalence.