Iranian Journal of

Background & Objectives: To adopt appropriate policies and strategies to maintain, preserve, and promote health, accurate information and indicators are required. In this study, the years of life lost due to premature death, which is considered one of the indicators of prioritization of health problems, was calculated and compared with other countries.

Methods: This study was an applied cross-sectional investigation. We use death registry data of the Province of Qazvin and population estimation from the Statistical Center of Iran from 2004- 2008 and a standard life table. We calculated YLL and YLL rates by age, sex and cause of death.

Results: The leading cause of YLL (premature death) in different age groups in the years 2004-2008 (based on ICD10) showed that the most common causes of death in the neonatal period were perinatal disorders, congenital anomalies, and chromosomal disorders. The leading causes of death in the age group 5-14 years were unintentional injuries and in the age group 15-49 years were unintentional injuries and cardiovascular diseases. The main causes of death in the age group 50-64 years were cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and unintentional injuries.

Conclusion: The leading causes of premature death in the Province of Ghazvin were unintentional injuries, cardiovascular diseases, perinatal disorders, and cancers. Several causes are preventable by lifestyle modifications such as reducing the tobacco use, increasing physical activity, and reducing stress.

Background and Objectives: Brucellosis in livestock has led to a significant reduction in the economic capital in Iran. Estimation of the economic losses due to this disease helps to highlight the importance of the disease and makes it easy to justify brucellosis control programs.

Methods: Estimation was done based on the data received from the Iran Veterinary Organization and statistics book of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture. Economic Loss was estimated assuming the equality of the incidence of the disease in total livestock population with its incidence in tested livestock. The direct costs of culled brucella positive animals, reduced milk production, reduced weight of animal, abortion, and reduced fertility were calculated based on the price of the animal or the product in each year. Due to inflation, the costs were adjusted using the discount rate. Therefore, the losses were compared in each year.

Results: The maximum loss due to brucellosis in the studied period occurred in 2014. Comparison of the losses due to bovine and ovine brucellosis showed that the total economic loss in the sheep and goat population was 5.53 times greater than the loss in the cattle population. Estimation of total economic loss in 12 years of the study was 8,129,116 million IRR (1 USD≅35000 IRR).

Conclusion: More serious attention should be paid to animal brucellosis from both health and economic points of view. Prevention from massive economic losses and human brucellosis control and eradication will not be possible without controlling the disease in the animal population.

Background and Objectives: Leishmaniasis encompasses a wide range of clinical complaints from skin injury to fatal visceral infections. Detailed information about the economic burden of the disease can help health care decision makers to estimate the magnitude of the problem, economic advantages obtained from the prevention of this disease, resource allocation, and disease management. The study was conducted to determine the economic burden of leishmaniasis in humans and animals in Iran in 2013.

Methods: The cost unit was determined through public service tariffs determined by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and interviews with experts, and service costs were calculated by multiplying the cost unit for one person by all infected cases. The course of the disease and the services provided to patients were obtained from the review of the literature and records and interview with experts.

Results: The economic burden of leishmaniasis was estimated more than IRR 213 billion ($6,700,000). Moreover, 39%, 27%, 18%, and 16% of the costs were related to indirect costs, direct medical costs, indirect medical costs, and dogs, respectively. The average direct medical cost of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis was IRR 3381186 ($106) and IRR 9392832 ($295) per person, respectively.

Conclusion: The economic burden  of leishmaniasis compared to some diseases such as hydatid cyst showed a smaller number( 232.3 million$). It is recommended that IIranian health politicians consider the economic burden of other diseases.