Knowledge, Awareness and Practices Regarding Cystic Echinococcosis among Livestock Farmers in Basrah Province, Iraq

Abstract

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an endemic neglected parasitic zoonosis in many of the countries of the Middle East. The disease poses a remarkable economic burden for both animals and humans. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey among livestock farmers in Basrah province, southern Iraq, in order to evaluate their knowledge and awareness about CE, and to understand some of the risky practices that could contribute to spread and persistence of such disease. Of the interviewed participants (N = 314), 27.4% owned dogs on their farms. Among farmers owning dogs, 76.7% (66/86) never tied up their dogs, and 43% (37/86) indicated feeding uncooked animal viscera to their dogs. The majority (96.5%) of the farmers indicated that they did not de-worm their dogs at all. Only 9.8% (31/314) of the respondents indicated eating raw leafy vegetables without washing. Added to that, 32% of the interviewees indicated that they source water for domestic use from a river; meanwhile 94.3% (296/314) of them do not boil water before using it for domestic purposes. Half of the interviewed livestock farmers in Basrah were not aware about how humans get infected with CE disease, and 41.4% (130/314) did not even realize that CE is a dangerous disease to human health. Almost one in three of the respondents who owned dogs on their farms viewed de-worming of their dogs as a low priority practice. This study highlights the gap in knowledge and awareness about CE among the study population. Risky practices associated with dog keeping management and food and water handling practices were identified. The insight from this research could be used to improve the delivery of a health education message relevant to cystic echinococcosis control at the human-animal interface in Iraq.

Cystic echinococcosis in the Eastern Mediterranean region: Neglected and prevailing!

“…WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO), which includes most of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), is one of the most ancient foci of the domestic cycle of CE and is recognized as one of the major hotspots of CE [4,5]. The stable endemicity of CE in this region is largely associated with several factors, including diverse intermediate host species (sheep, goats, camels, cattle, buffalos, and wild pigs), traditional farming and livestock husbandry, poor quality and/or unregulated abattoirs, widespread practice of home slaughter, high consumption of raw vegetables, large numbers of stray dogs, and low level of public awareness about CE transmission [1,6,7]. CE imposes substantial costs to low-and middle-income countries that is estimated at 0.01% to 0.04% of nation's gross domestic product (GDP) [8].…”

Prevalence of Taeniid Eggs in the Faeces of Domesticated and Free-roaming Dogs in Basrah, Iraq, and the Knowledge of Dog Owners on Cystic Echinococcosis

“…Similarly, a study conducted in Qinghai Province, China demonstrated that humans with alveolar echinococcosis were more likely to have a lower educational level compared to non-infected controls [60]. Such findings highlight the need for developing and implementing educational campaigns suitable for dog-owners in Basrah [35]. A key component of an educational campaign should be improving the knowledge of farmers and dog owners about CE and the parasite's life cycle.…”

“…The study was performed from March to July 2016. Of 314 livestock owners who were surveyed to assess their knowledge, awareness and practices toward CE [35], 86 owned at least one dog (total of 122 dogs from 16 villages in the six districts of Abu Al-Kasib, Al-Midaina, Al-Qurnah, Al-Zubair, Shat AleArab, and Al-Basrah. A further questionnaire was administered to the 86 dog-owners and included questions on management practices adopted (whether the dog was restrained or not; administered anthelmintics; fed offal; and how faeces from the dogs were disposed of; and the age and sex of the dogs).…”

Hydatid Cyst With Focus on Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Management: Review

“…• Prevent dogs from feeding on infected sheep [19,33] • The limiting of home cattle butchers [34] • Avoidance of any food or water that may be contaminated by dog's feces [25,35] • Handwashing with soap and water after handling dogs [25] • Vaccination of cattle with EG95 vaccine to interrupt the life cycle of E. granulosus [36][37][38] • Dogs can be terminated using praziquantel every 6 weeks [37,39] • Not to contact with wild animals such as foxes and stray dogs [25].…”