Factores de riesgo de fasciolosis para la salud pública en Huambo, Angola

Fasciolosis causes high economical losses for the agricultural sector and it is considered as emerging or re-emerging zoonosis due to its increasing impact on public health. Since there is a high prevalence of bovine fasciolosis in Huambo, despite any case reported in humans, it is important to know the potential risk factors for public health. A questionnaire was made for this purpose, and 195 animal breeders of eight municipalities in Huambo were interviewed. Although the persons dedicated to animal husbandry are women, they only represented the 15.9% among the persons interviewed, thus the sanitary education programs should give them priority. The 57.95% of the breeders (113) referred to parasitism in their animals, and the 86.5% indicated it as death cause. Farms had bovines in 86.2 % and a 24.6% living with ewes, goats, or both species, which influenced in parasitism (84.1%) (p<0.047). The treatment of infected herds (72.6%) (with chemicals or medicinal herbs) was not effective, and it acted as a risk factor (OR: 54.91, p<0.001), as well as the lack of the veterinary assistance (p<0.05). Most of breeders (69.0%) use medicinal herbs for animal treatment, and their potential contamination with metacercaries may be a risk for the persons which use the traditional medicine. There was a relationship between the parasites