One Health for fascioliasis control in human endemic areas

Abstract

Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica are liver flukes causing fascioliasis, a worldwide zoonotic, complex disease. Human infection/reinfection occurs in endemic areas where preventive chemotherapy is applied, because of fasciolid transmission ensured by livestock and lymnaeid snail vectors. A One Health control action is the best complement to decrease infection risk. The multidisciplinary framework needs to focus on freshwater transmission foci and their environment, lymnaeids, mammal reservoirs, and inhabitant infection, ethnography and housing. Local epidemiological and transmission knowledge furnished by previous field and experimental research offers the baseline for control design. A One Health intervention should be adapted to the endemic area characteristics. Long-term control sustainability may be achieved by prioritizing measures according to impact depending on available funds.

Keywords: One Health control action; disease complexity; human fascioliasis; preventive chemotherapy; previous research knowledge baseline; wide multidisciplinary framework.