DETERMINATION OF BRUCELLOSIS PREVALENCE AND RISK FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH BRUCELLOSIS IN INDIVIDUALS LIVING IN KARACABEY DISTRICT

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of brucellosis and to examine the risk factors associated with brucellosis. Methods: In the study, patients registered in the Karacabey population were screened, and it was determined that 62 people were diagnosed with Brucellosis in 2023. Of the patients diagnosed with Brucellosis, 50 volunteered to participate in the study. In order to compare the characteristics of patients diagnosed with Brucellosis, 50 healthy participants with similar characteristics were evaluated as a control group. The demographic characteristics of all participants and their consumption of animal products that pose a risk for brucellosis were evaluated using the Case Report Form. The health literacy levels of the participants were evaluated using the Most Recent Vital Signs (NVS) Scale. Results: The one-year Brucellosis prevalence for 2023 was found to be 72.3/100,000 among the cases registered in the Karacabey population. It was found that 32 (64%) of the brucellosis cases were male, and 15 (30%) of them migrated to Karacabey from other provinces. It was found that NVS scale scores were not statistically significantly different between cases with and without brucellosis (p>0.05). When the NVS score distribution rates were compared, it was found that there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups; 11 (22%) cases with brucellosis did not score on the NVS scale. In addition, this rate was only 4% (n=2) in the healthy control group. It was found that cases with Brucellosis had statistically significantly higher rates of keeping dairy animals (p=0.026) and being engaged in the food business (p=0.003) than cases without Brucellosis. According to the Multivariate Binary Logistic Regression Analysis, migration increased the risk of Brucellosis diagnosis by 4.061 times (CI; 1.239-13.311) at a statistically significant level. In addition, in this regression model, the NVS scale and other demographic characteristics were not found to be significantly effective variables in increasing the risk of Brucellosis (p>0.05). Conclusions: The level of health literacy is insufficient in cases with brucellosis. However, health literacy does not increase the risk of brucellosis. The rate of keeping a lactating animal and being engaged in the food business is high in cases with brucellosis, and these people are frequently migrants from outside Bursa province. Therefore, it may be useful for family physicians to pay attention to the risk of brucellosis in migrants. In addition, it may be useful to develop health education programs to prevent brucellosis outbreaks in the migrant population.