A retrospective hospital study of human cystic echinococcosis in Egypt

We performed a retrospective study to determine annual clinical incidence of human cystic echinococcosis (CE) in 14 Egyptian hospitals between January 1997 and December 1999. From 492 353 records examined, 133 (0.027%) new human CE cases were recorded. Of these, 50 (37.6%) were from Alexandria and Matrouh hospitals, 33 (24.8%) from Giza Chest Hospital and 50 from other regions. Matrouh governorate had the highest annual clinical incidence (1.34-2.60 per 100 000) followed by Giza governorate (0.80-1.16 per 100 000). About a third of those affected were aged < or = 20 years. Liver and lungs were the organs most affected. Although human CE is of low endemicity in Egypt, it may-represent a public health concern in Matrouh and Giza governorates.