A team of scientists from Belgium, Nepal, New Zealand, Switzerland and the Netherlands report in a study titled ‘The Burden of Parasitic Zoonoses in Nepal: A Systematic Review’ that the country needs a better surveillance system to accurately estimate animal-borne parasitic disease or ‘parasitic zoonoses (PZs)’.

The recent study estimates the public health burden of PZs in Nepal at 24,000 healthy years lost annually.

Neurocysticercosis caused by pork tapeworms affect the nervous system, cystic echinococcosis traced through dog tapeworms and congenital toxoplasmosis in which mothers infected with the toxoplasma parasite give birth to infected children, are the three top PZs in Nepal, according to the study.

The study estimates that Nepal loses 14,268 healthy years annually due to neurocysticercosis, 9,255 years due to congenital toxoplasmosis, and 251 due to cystic echinococcosis. Numerous data sources were analysed in the study to examine the relevance and importance of such infections.

“Nepal is considered endemic for at least 10 PZs, and might be endemic for seven others. Most of these diseases probably only have a small public health impact. However, neurocysticercosis and congenital toxoplasmosis are likely to impose an important burden to public health,” said the report.