Building capacity to enhance early diagnosis and clinical management of cystic echinococcosis

WHO has been asked by the endemic countries to provide support on early diagnosis and clinical management of cystic echinococcosis.  WHO supports capacity building through training courses targeting medical and paramedical personnel, focused on the clinical management of cystic echinococcosis in rural areas of affected countries. This is an integral component to support the universal health coverage.

WHO has also tasked the WHO-Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis (WHO-IWGE) to develop and keep updated the WHO consensus on diagnosis and treatment of echinococcosis in humans, to provide guidance on improved case detection and case management.

WHO supports countries

Morocco finished a project aimed at decentralizing diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and promoting the PAIR (puncture, aspiration, injection, re-aspiration) strategy in rural and hyperendemic areas.

Mongolia has recognized the importance of echinococcosis as a public-health problem and, at the request of the Ministry of Health, WHO in 2013 conducted an initial situation analysis. The analysis focused on implementing early diagnosis and building a basic surveillance system covering humans and animals to understand the actual burden of the disease.

A cross-sectional study conducted in Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey in 2014-2015, found that the true burden of CE is poorly understood and that many cases remain asymptomatic, with no appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment. The study assessed the prevalence of the disease among rural populations in the three countries.

In the Americas, a cystic echinococcosis control manual was produced by the Pan American Health Organization / WHO Regional Office for the Americas (OPS) and Panaftosa in 2017. It has been published in Spanish.