Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis is a skin infection caused by a protozoan of the genus Leishmania and it transmitted by female phlebotomus mosquitoes. Military forces staff are part of vulnerable groups with high probability of contracting disease for reasons such as participating in military maneuver, deployment in border areas, outskirts of cities in endemic areas. Some studies show that the incidence rate of cutaneous leishmaniasis among military forces is higher than its incidence rate in the civilian population. The purpose of this study is to acquaint military forces with the epidemiology of the disease, clinical symptoms, vectors, reservoirs, and prevention and treatment methods that can prevent the disease.
Methods and Materials: This review article has been performed through searching in national and international reliable databases using cutaneous leishmaniasis, military forces, prevention of cutaneous leishmaniasis, uniforms stained with poison, and skin diseases keywords. Moreover, this research has been done by selecting 76 related articles until April 2024.
Results: The most important axis in the control of cutaneous leishmaniasis is camps and maneuver along with other disease control and prevention programs including vaccine and drug production, improving the environment, fighting the vector, exterminating rats, improving awareness about the disease, particularly the ways of transmission and prevention methods such as the importance of using clothes or uniforms impregnated with insect repellants, repellants ointment, insecticides, mosquito nets impregnated with poison and the methods of using them, especially in endemic areas. Having the necessary and correct information is the first and most basic step to take any appropriate behavior to prevent contracting this disease. Teaching preventive behaviors of biting the cutaneous leishmaniasis vector can not only protect people from contracting this disease, but also protect the military in the battle scene against other diseases that the enemy may use insects as biological weapons and disease transmission.
Discussion and Conclusion: In order to prevent contracting this disease for the military forces stationed in the barracks of endemic areas or the forces sent to these areas, providing the necessary equipment and health education classes on the topics of enhancing awareness of the methods of disease transmission, the importance of using uniforms impregnated with poisons, using mosquito nets impregnated with poison, using appropriate insect repellants on the skin of the hands, face and uncovered parts of body, particularly during rest and dressing the affected area should be planned and implemented for prevention.
Type of Study:
review |
Subject:
full articles Received: 2024/04/21 | Accepted: 2024/05/25 | Published: 2024/08/20