Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Park Road, Chakh Shahzad, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Firat, 23119, Elazig, Turkey.
Infect Dis Poverty. 2018 Jan 22;7(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s40249-017-0383-2.
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a human and animal health problem in many endemic areas worldwide. It is considered a neglected zoonotic disease caused by the larval form (hydatid cyst) of Echinococcus spp. tapeworm. There are limited studies on echinococcosis in Pakistan.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted to find out recent knowledge, attitudes and practices on the occurrence of cystic echinococcosis in butchers and dog owners in both urban and rural areas of Rawalpindi/Islamabad regions, Pakistan. The quantitative data was collected in the form of questionnaires to investigate the knowledge and awareness of CE among community members and their routine practices that were behind the factors involved in hydatid cyst infection. The practices and infrastructure of abattoirs/butcher shops and their role in transmission of cystic echinococcosis were also evaluated in the present study.
The participants involved in the study were dog owners and people who kept animals. A total of 400 people were interviewed and 289 questionnaires were received. The results showed that only 4.1% of people have heard about the disease, and 58.1% were closely associated with dogs. Sixty-three percent of dogs in study area were consuming uncooked organs (e.g. liver, lung, etc.) of slaughtered animals, while 100% of dogs at butcher shops were consuming uncooked organs. Home slaughtering was common in 20.06%. Among butchers, 32.3% had heard about zoonoses and 7.61% knew about CE. The statistical analysis showed that there was highly significant difference (P < 0.05) among most of the practices that were associated with the prevalence of CE.
It was concluded from the present study that, the knowledge and awareness of CE among people of Rawalpindi/Islamabad were low. Because of dogs and poor knowledge of CE among community members and butchers, the transmission of echinococcosis is facilitated. Therefore, there is urgent need to strengthen awareness and health education among people, as well as proper practices related to the CE not only in the study area, but also in other areas of Pakistan.
囊型包虫病（CE）是世界许多流行地区的人类和动物健康问题。它被认为是一种被忽视的人畜共患疾病，由细粒棘球绦虫的幼虫（包虫囊肿）引起。在巴基斯坦，关于包虫病的研究有限。
本研究进行了一项横断面调查，以了解拉瓦尔品第/伊斯兰堡地区城乡地区屠夫和狗主人对囊型包虫病发生的最新知识、态度和做法。通过问卷调查收集定量数据，以调查社区成员对 CE 的了解和认识，以及他们在包虫囊肿感染相关因素背后的常规做法。本研究还评估了屠宰场/肉铺的做法和基础设施及其在传播囊型包虫病方面的作用。
参与本研究的是狗主人和养动物的人。共访谈 400 人，收到 289 份问卷。结果表明，只有 4.1%的人听说过这种疾病，58.1%的人与狗密切相关。研究地区 63%的狗食用未煮熟的动物器官（如肝脏、肺等），而 100%的狗在肉铺食用未煮熟的器官。在家屠宰很常见，占 20.06%。在屠夫中，32.3%听说过动物传染病，7.61%知道包虫病。统计分析表明，与包虫病流行相关的大多数做法之间存在显著差异（P<0.05）。
本研究得出结论，拉瓦尔品第/伊斯兰堡地区人们对包虫病的知识和认识水平较低。由于狗和社区成员及屠夫对包虫病的了解不足，有利于包虫病的传播。因此，迫切需要加强人们的意识和健康教育，以及不仅在研究地区，而且在巴基斯坦其他地区与包虫病相关的适当做法。
