Department of Oncology, Maidstone Hospital, Maidstone, Kent, UK.
Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon.
Acta Parasitol. 2022 Jun;67(2):809-819. doi: 10.1007/s11686-021-00510-4. Epub 2022 Feb 3.
Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are highly endemic and distributed within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, affecting an estimated 65 million people. Lebanon suffers from several NTDs as they are either endemic in the country or imported via expats residing in endemic regions, refugees, and foreign labor force. The Syrian crisis and the displacement of refugees to Lebanon have made the country the largest host of refugees per capita right after the Syrian crisis in 2011, peaking in the year of 2013. Additionally, foreign labor in Lebanon come from different countries in Africa and Asia that are endemic with certain NTDs. The Lebanese diaspora is approximately twice the number of those residing in the country and is distributed throughout the continents carrying the risk of importing new NTDs.
A descriptive study about the prevalence of NTDs in Lebanon, their distribution, and factors contributing to spread was performed. The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health (LMPH) database regarding reportable transmissible diseases was reviewed for reportable NTDs between 2002 and 2020 in relation to age, gender, prevalence, and geographical distribution. The medical literature was searched using several engines looking for all reports about NTDs in Lebanon, those relevant to regions hosting Lebanese diaspora, and countries where the refugees and migrant workers came from.
Only leishmaniasis, leprosy, echinococcosis, schistosomiasis, and rabies are mandatorily reportable NTDs by the LMPH. Additionally, case reports about fasciolosis, ascaridiosis, and Dengue were reported from Lebanon. The presence of the Syrian refugees in the country affected the prevalence of leishmaniasis and rabies. The most prevalent NTD in Lebanon is cutaneous leishmaniasis. The Lebanese diaspora reside mainly in South America, Africa, and in some Arab states known to be endemic with certain NTDs.
Little information is known about NTDs in Lebanon. The country is at an increased risk of experiencing several new NTDs due to refugee influx, foreign labor, economic crisis, and ever-growing number of Lebanese seeking work opportunities abroad. More information is needed to assess the true burden of NTDs in Lebanon and the future steps to contain and mitigate their effects.
被忽视的热带病（NTDs）在中东和北非（MENA）地区高度流行和分布，估计有 6500 万人受到影响。黎巴嫩患有几种 NTDs，因为它们要么在该国流行，要么通过居住在流行地区、难民和外国劳动力的侨民输入。叙利亚危机和难民涌入黎巴嫩使该国成为 2011 年叙利亚危机后人均接纳难民最多的国家，2013 年达到顶峰。此外，黎巴嫩的外国劳动力来自非洲和亚洲的一些流行特定 NTDs 的国家。黎巴嫩侨民的数量大约是居住在该国的侨民的两倍，分布在各大洲，有输入新的 NTDs 的风险。
对黎巴嫩 NTDs 的流行情况、分布情况以及导致传播的因素进行了描述性研究。审查了黎巴嫩公共卫生部（LMPH）关于 2002 年至 2020 年报告传染病的数据库中报告的 NTDs，涉及年龄、性别、流行率和地理分布。使用多个引擎搜索医学文献，寻找关于黎巴嫩 NTDs 的所有报告、与容纳黎巴嫩侨民的地区有关的报告以及难民和移民工人来自的国家的报告。
只有利什曼病、麻风病、包虫病、血吸虫病和狂犬病是 LMPH 强制报告的 NTDs。此外，黎巴嫩还报告了 fasciolosis、ascaridiosis 和登革热的病例报告。该国叙利亚难民的存在影响了利什曼病和狂犬病的流行率。黎巴嫩最流行的 NTD 是皮肤利什曼病。黎巴嫩侨民主要居住在南美、非洲和一些已知流行某些 NTDs 的阿拉伯国家。
关于黎巴嫩的 NTDs 知之甚少。由于难民涌入、外国劳动力、经济危机以及越来越多的黎巴嫩人寻求国外工作机会，该国面临着几种新的 NTDs 的风险增加。需要更多的信息来评估黎巴嫩 NTDs 的真实负担以及控制和减轻其影响的未来步骤。
