Trichinosis from wild boar meat in Gojjam, north-west Ethiopia

An outbreak of trichinosis associated with ingestion of meat from a wild boar in Gojjam administrative region, Ethiopia, is reported. Of the 30 soldiers, 20 who ate the meat raw, became ill and 5 of them were admitted to the Armed Forces General Hospital (AFGH). Even though they presented with a typical history and clinical features the disease was not even suspected at the peripheral hospital. The diagnosis was confirmed, at the AFGH, by deltoid muscle biopsy in all the 5 cases. Trichinosis being increasingly recognized as a public health problem in Ethiopia, warrants public education and more awareness by health workers.