| Summary: | Background/objectives: Orf is not an endemic disease. However, it causes epidemics after the Feast of the Sacrifice in Muslim countries because it is transmitted from animals. This study investigates orf disease incidences during and after the Feast of the Sacrifice period in Izmir. The study seeks to detect the association between various occupations and orf, as well as the rate of disease-related complications.
Methods: This retrospective study included 168 orf patients and 352 control patients selected from among 68,723 patients who applied to our dermatology polyclinic between 2006 and 2012. The patients were grouped according to their occupation, residential area, and the time at which they acquired the disease (either before or after the Feast of the Sacrifice).
Results: Orf disease was detected most commonly in butchers (24.4%) before the Feast of the Sacrifice and in slaughterers (40.5%) after the Feast of the Sacrifice. When the sum of all groups was inspected, the group most exposed to the disease was the group that fed and slaughtered the animals (45.2%). A male preponderance (30.4%) was found in this group before the Feast of the Sacrifice, whereas a female preponderance (32.7%) was found in this group after the Feast.
Conclusion: The high rate of orf detected (168/68,723) in our research is connected with an increase of population, sacrifices, and animal husbandry regions.
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