Abstract
BackgroundThe World Health Organization aims for complete morbidity control of fishborne zoonotic trematodes (FZT) in endemic areas by 2020. The main intervention tool for achieving this goal is regular use of preventive chemotherapy by offering praziquantel to those at risk in endemic areas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of preventive chemotherapy to control FZT in an endemic area in Northern Vietnam.Methodology and principle findingsWe followed a cohort of 396 people who fulfilled the criteria for receiving preventive chemotherapy. Stool samples were examined by Kato-Katz technique for the presence of trematode eggs before, and two, 16, 29 and 60 weeks after preventive chemotherapy. The prevalence of trematode eggs in stool was 40.2% before, 2.3% two weeks after and increased to a cumulative prevalence of 29.8% sixty weeks after preventive chemotherapy.ConclusionsThe effectiveness of preventive chemotherapy as a main component in control of FZT is not well documented in most endemic areas. We found a high reinfection rate within the first year after preventive chemotherapy. Since these trematodes are zoonoses, preventive chemotherapy may not have sufficient impact alone on the transmission to have a lasting effect on the prevalence. Animal reservoirs and farm management practices must be targeted to achieve sustainable control of fishborne zoonotic trematode infections, hence control programs should consider a One Health approach.
Highlights
Foodborne trematodiasis is a group of Neglected Tropical Diseases with a considerable impact on human health, especially in Southeast and East Asia
We found a high reinfection rate within the first year after preventive chemotherapy
In Northern Vietnam, there is a mix of C. sinensis and minute intestinal fluke (MIF), especially
Summary
Foodborne trematodiasis is a group of Neglected Tropical Diseases with a considerable impact on human health, especially in Southeast and East Asia. An estimated 56 million people are infected with foodborne trematodes, of which approximately half is due to fishborne zoonotic trematodes (FZT) [1]. Infections with FZT are believed to be emerging, and the rapid growth in aquaculture and consumption of fish raised in endemic areas has been proposed to contribute to infection [3]. FZT include the liver flukes Clonorchis sinensis and Opisthorchis viverrini as well as a large number of minute intestinal fluke (MIF) species. In Northern Vietnam, there is a mix of C. sinensis and MIF, especially. The World Health Organization aims for complete morbidity control of fishborne zoonotic trematodes (FZT) in endemic areas by 2020.
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