| Author(s) | May H. Al-Jaser |
| Affiliation | Assistant Professor, Zoology Department, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 137, Riyadh 11411, Saudi Arabia E-mail: mayaljaser@yahoo.com |
| Title | Studies on the Epidemiology of Malaria and Visceral Leishmaniasis in Jizan Area, Saudi Arabia |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Science. Volume 19, No 1. (2007/1427) |
| Abstract | Malaria (M) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL) are endemic in Jizan, southwest of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The present work aimed to determine the correlation between the incidences of the two diseases during the period from 1991 to 2002, in addition to the correlation between each of them and the relative humidity (RH), temperature (T) and precipitation (P) in Jizan area. The numbers of M and VL cases during the period from 1991 to 2002 have been studied and no significant correlation between the numbers of notified cases of the two diseases was observed. Also, the data on M and VL incidence and the relative humidity (RH), temperature (T) and precipitation (P) for the period from 1997 to 2002 were analyzed. The data showed a significant positive correlation between RH and M. On the other hand, a significant negative correlation existed between RH and VL and between T and M. The number of notified cases for both diseases decreased significantly after the year 2000, the year of the Rift Valley fever outbreak in Jizan, when great efforts were made to eliminate its vector. The present results herewith indicate that sanitary measures in addition to environmental managements are crucial for fighting these diseases. Keywords: Malaria, Visceral leishmaniasis, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Jizan, Rift Valley fever control, Insect control. |
