Fascioliasis Control Program
Fascioliasis Control Program in Bolivian Altiplano Communities of South America
HOME FASCIOLIASIS TRANSMISSION SYMPTOMS TREATMENT PREVENTION
WHAT IS FASCIOLIASIS?
Fascioliasis,
an infection caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica, has
traditionally been considered to be an important veterinary disease due to the
substantial production and monetary losses that it has caused, and continues to
cause, in livestock. Annual losses are estimated to be at least three-million
dollars. However, human fascioliasis, a zoonosis, which has been traditionally
viewed as a secondary disease, is becoming more prevalent in the world.
It has been estimated that between 2.4 and 17 million people worldwide are infected with F. hepatica, with cases reported in 61 countries and a further 180 million people are at risk for infection. Due to the large numbers of people infected worldwide, fascioliasis causes considerable morbidity, although it is rarely fatal.
The highest prevalence of human fascioliasis infection is found in the Altiplano region of Bolivia and Peru near Lake Titicaca. In this hyperendemic region, in the Bolivian province of Los Andes, the incidence of disease reaches up to 67%. Other endemic areas of human fascioliasis infection are found in Cuba, Egypt, Iran, China, Ecuador, France, Portugal, and Viet Nam.
TARGET SITE
This proposal will focus on human fascioliasis infection as a zoonosis in the small, rural communities of the Bolivian Altiplano region. Human fascioliasis is a hyperendemic disease in the Bolivian Altiplano region. A 2006 study of this area demonstrated infection levels greater than fifty percent in some communities. This area, at the southern edge of Lake Titicaca, has the highest occurrence rates of fascioliasis in the world. This region demonstrates an incidence of up to 68% in the population, with an average incidence rate of 15%. In a recent study of thirty-eight communities, two communities – Chijipata Alta and Cutusuma (circled in the image below), demonstrated infection levels greater than fifty percent.
Target Site - Bolivian Altiplano.
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