Eurosurveillance
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Long-term surveillance of Echinococcus multilocularis occurrence in red foxes in Slovakia revealed the existence of highly endemic areas, with an overall prevalence rate of 41.6 % in the northern part of the country. Between 2000 and 2013, 26 human cases of alveolar echinococcosis were detected and only three of them were not in endemic localities in northern Slovakia. Remarkable is the occurrence of the disease in eight people younger than 35 years, including three patients aged eight, 14 and 19 years. ⋯ For effective management of prevention and control strategies for this disease improvement of the national surveillance system and engagement of specialists outside the medical community are necessary. Our study presents a comprehensive picture of the epidemiological situation of E. multilocularis in northern Slovakia. In addition, we report the first list of confirmed human cases of this serious parasitosis in Slovakia.