Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 111 | Published: 14 Oct 2026
Moses Job Tarfa1,&, Arhyel Malgwi1, Laraba Joshua Zira2, Elizabeth Bunmi Adedire1,3, Taofik Ademola Oloyede1, Ahmad Muhammad Aliyu1, Shamsu Munzali1, Ifeyinwa Francisca Martins1, Zainab Dambazau1,8, Fatima Ibrahim4, Isah Hafiz Chado5, Segun Bello6, Emmanuel Jolaoluwa Awosanya7
1Nigeria Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (NFELTP), Abuja, Nigeria; 2Department of Veterinary Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria; 3African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), Abuja, Nigeria; 4Niger State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria; 5Niger State Ministry of Health, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria; 6Department of Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Faculty of Public Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria; 7Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan, Oyo, Nigeria; 8Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Abuja, Nigeria
&Corresponding author: Moses Job Tarfa, NFELTP Cohort 12, Abuja, Nigeria, Email: mosestarfa@yahoo.co.uk, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6199-1301
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 14 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Cystic echinococcosis, hydatid disease, healthcare practitioners, One Health, surveillance
©Moses Job Tarfa et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Moses Job Tarfa et al., Under-recognition of human cystic echinococcosis in Niger State, Nigeria, 2016-2025: Findings from a hospital record review and healthcare practitioner assessment. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):111. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-00111
Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato. The human CE burden in Nigeria remains poorly characterised due to weak surveillance, diagnostic limitations, and low clinical suspicion. This study assessed hospital-detected CE and healthcare practitioners’ knowledge, perceptions, and practices in Niger State.
Hospital records from January 2016 to December 2025 were retrospectively reviewed across four secondary and one tertiary facility in Niger State. Records were screened using predefined case definitions for suspected, probable, and confirmed CE. A cross-sectional survey used a structured electronic questionnaire. Firth penalized logistic regression identified factors independently associated with adequate knowledge.
A total of 46,274 hospital records were screened, yielding 214 potential echinococcosis-related records. Of these, 123 case files were retrieved and reviewed, 14 met the criteria for suspected or probable CE, while no confirmed case was identified. Cases occurred intermittently between 2019 and 2024, with the liver being the most affected organ (71.4%). Among 367 healthcare practitioners surveyed, 240 (65.4%) had previously heard of CE. Of these, 121 (50.4%) demonstrated adequate knowledge. Zoonotic disease training was independently associated with adequate knowledge (aOR 4.74; 95% CI: 2.44–9.21; p<0.001), as was CE-specific training (aOR 4.03; 95% CI: 1.45–11.22; p=0.008). Additionally, 261 (71.1%) respondents never or rarely considered CE when evaluating cystic lesions, while 215 (58.6%) had never reported a suspected or confirmed CE case.
The absence of confirmed cases despite extensive record screening, together with gaps in clinical recognition and reporting, suggests CE may be under-recognized in Niger State. Strengthening practitioner capacity, diagnostic services, surveillance, and One Health collaboration could improve CE recognition and reporting.
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