Prevalence of Several Infectious Diseases in the District Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death, especially in young children and particularly in underdeveloped countries. This cross-sectional study determined the prevalence of some common/major pathogenic diseases in the Dera Ismail Khan district.

Materials and Methods: The two-year indoor data were obtained from the District Headquarters Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan.

Results: Of the total 48093 cases, diarrhea/dysentery contributed to 59.1%, followed by enteric/typhoid (22.7%), pneumonia (9.6%), malaria (4.6%), extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (2.3%), and pulmonary tuberculosis (1.8%). May had the highest prevalence (16.0%), and February had the lowest (3.9%). Diarrhea/dysentery fever showed a higher prevalence compared to other infections, except enteric/typhoid in January and June. Diarrhea/dysentery and malaria revealed the highest prevalence of 19.6% and 17.1% in May, respectively. The combined prevalence of diarrhea/dysentery, enteric/typhoid, and pneumonia was 91.4% among the studied infectious diseases, indicating comparability in June. Enteric/typhoid demonstrated the highest prevalence in August (24.4%), pneumonia in June (23.5%), extra-pulmonary tuberculosis in March (65.4%), and pulmonary tuberculosis in November (26.2%). The overall disease rates increased steadily from February to March, peaking in May, with a relatively higher prevalence in April and from August through October and December.

Conclusion: Gastrointestinal diseases contributed to 81.8% of the overall prevalence, followed by respiratory diseases (11.4%), while malaria and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis collectively resulted in 6.8%. Prevalence varied by month and season. This study helps inform the adoption of strategies to prevent and control infectious diseases in the study area.