Typhoid and Non-Typhoid Salmonellosis Related Mortality in Iran, National Data from the Ministry of Health.

BACKGROUND: Despite the declining trend, salmonellosis is still an important preventable cause of death in Iran and the world, especially in certain age and occupational subgroups, and the need for preventive measures, especially raising awareness of at-risk groups, is necessary.

METHODS: Data were obtained from the Ministry of Health covering the years 2013 to 2019. The data were then stratified by year, season, month, and province of death as well as sex, age group, belonging to rural vs. urban communities and cause of death and were then analyzed using SPSS to report differences in age, sex, seasonal patterns, and spatial distribution.

RESULTS: Non-typhoid salmonellosis (NTS) and typhoid were recorded as the cause of 800 and 32 deaths, respectively, with the highest number in 2015 and 2013. Septicemia was the cause of 87.3% of deaths due to NTS, whereas typhoid was the cause of 62.5% of its respective cases. The highest percentage of death related to both occurred in spring ( P <0.001). NTS mortality rates were higher in the 70-80 and 80-90 age groups, while typhoid mortality was greatest in the under 10 yr age group. NTS mortality was higher in urban while typhoid mortality was higher in rural areas ( P <0.001). Most deaths occurred in Ardabil, Sistan and Baluchistan and Khorasan Razavi provinces and Sistan and Baluchistan, West Azerbaijan and Khorasan Razavi related to NTS and typhoid, respectively.

CONCLUSION: Salmonella remains a preventable cause of death, especially among the elderly and children, the data gathered in this study provides important information for priority setting in specific subpopulations and food safety policy.