Cystic echinococcosis is a parasitic infection of major public health concern. The infection is generally acquired during childhood and the disease incubation period can last many years. The occurrence and characteristics of the disease in children were not well studied. The present study aimed to explore the pattern and features of cystic echinococcosis in children in rural and urban environments in Morocco. A total of 338 children diagnosed and treated for cystic echinococcosis were investigated. The trend of the infection, risk and exposure factors and the distribution of the anatomic locations of cysts were studied. A non-uniform decrease in proportions of infected children was found. Children from rural environs had significantly higher infection rates than children from urban environs (p \ 0.001). Males were significantly more infected than females. Children aged 7-11 years were the most affected. For cysts locations, single organ involvement was found in 94.4% of the children versus 5.6% with multi-organ localization. Despite control program, active transmission of echinococcosis still occurred in children and remains a major public health problem. The infection in younger population may have some features that need to be considered in the prevention and control programs in endemic areas.

Background: Cystic echinococcosis is a parasitic disease of major public health concern in many countries. Infection is generally acquired during childhood and symptoms may appear later in adulthood. The study aimed to determine the pattern and characteristics of cystic echinococcosis in adults from an endemic area (Morocco), where a control and prevention program has been implemented. Methods: Adult patients diagnosed and operated for echinococcosis between 2010 and 2016 were investigated. Reports containing details regarding each patient were established and completed. Results: Over the study period, 260 patients were investigated with a decreasing trend in patients' numbers. Adults from rural areas were significantly predominant (74.2%) (p < 0.01). Females were more infected (55.8%) than males (44.2%). Adults aged 18-43 years were the most affected (52.3%) (p < 0.01). All of the patients had single organ involvement. Liver location was preponderant (63.8%) and patients with uncommon locations were rare (6.9%). Cysts' distribution varied by gender, age group and origin. Mean length of hospital stay was 5.5 days, with relatively higher periods in patients aged 57-82 years and in patients with unusual locations of cysts. Conclusion: Active transmission of cystic echinococcosis can still occur in areas where surveillance programs have been implemented. Many factors affect features of the disease and should be considered in prevention and control programs in endemic areas.

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