Zonas hiperendémicas y mesoendémicas de la infección por Fasciola hepática aledañas a la ciudad de Lima: una enfermedad emergente?

INTRODUCTION: The infection caused by F. hepatica is endemic in Perú with an increasing number of endemic areas, the reporting of them is essential to know the impact of the infection in the population. OBJECTIVE: To report the prevalence rate of fascioliasis in areas where it had not been detected human cases previously. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three districts in Lima department were studied; La Chaqui, province of Canta; San Lorenzo of Quinti and San Miguel of Sangallaya, province of Huarochirí. It included children and young adults (less than 25 years old). One stool sample by person was collected and processed by means of the Rapid Sedimentation Technique described by Lumbreras. RESULTS: Overall, the prevalence rate in the three districts was 8.6% (n=291); 3.9% (n=102) in La Chaqui, 26.9% (n=27) in San Miguel of Sangallaya, and 8.6% (n=163) in San Lorenzo of Quinti. CONCLUSION: F. hepatica infection is a Health Public problem in populations surrounding Lima city. Therefore, control and prevention measurements, besides being addressed to authochtonus people, should also take into account high-risk groups such as frequent travelers to endemic areas and people with dietetic programs based on raw vegetables.