Human Echinococcosis: A Neglected Disease?

Human echinococcosis is a zoonotic larval cestode disease usually caused by Echinococcus granulosus or E. multilocularis. Infection is chronic taking years for symptoms to develop. Because diagnosis and treatment are difficult and reservoirs of infection are maintained in domestic livestock, dogs or wildlife, the disease is difficult to assess in terms of public health and requires long-term control interventions. Estimates of numbers of cystic echinococcosis cases that may occur in 2 large endemic zones, North Africa/Middle East and China/Central Asia, indicates > 423,000 and > 484,000 cases respectively. Globally, 3.6 million DALYs could be lost due to echinoccocosis. Echinococcosis is therefore a neglected disease which is under-reported and requires urgent attention in common with a number of other zoonoses in order to reduce morbidity and to help alleviate poverty in poor pastoral areas of the sub-tropics and temperate zones. © 2007, Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine. All rights reserved.