Integrated control of Fascioliasis in Latin America: Results of an International Atomic Energy Agency Project

Abstract

Even though Fascioliasis has been known for centuries, it is now emerging in many parts of the world . Human cases are rising, two decades ago the estimates were of a few thousand , current estimates reach many millions. The human endemic areas are highest in Latin American countries and animal fascioliasis greatly affects livestock all through the region, often of poor subsistence farmers, thus decreasing even more their meager earnings and contributing to the cycle of disease and poverty . The enourmous geographical diversity of the regions affected by fascioliasis in Latin America ranges from the cold, snowcovered Patagonia to the simmering tropics of Central America.