Knowledge of hydatidosis in users of community pharmacies

Introduction: Hydatidosis is a serious zoonosis, which can be prevented with simple preventive methods and health education programs in which the community pharmacy plays a key role in carrying out health campaigns to prevent this disease.

Objectives: To know the degree of knowledge of the population regarding the prophylactic and control measures of hydatidosis, and the capacity of the pharmacy as a sanitary agent for the prevention of this zoonosis, in collaboration with other health agents.

Materials and methods: An observational study with pharmacy users is conducted. The study enrolled people who were in contact with dogs. They were asked to complete a questionnaire on their characteristics and level of knowledge of hydatidosis.

Results: 99 questionnaires were used, 76 (76.8%) interviewees owned 162 dogs; 46 (60.5%) dog owners had them as pets. 66 (86.8%) treated their dogs with antiparasitic drugs, most of them, 32 (48.5%), every three months. 30 (45.5%) did not know the product used and 6 (9.1%) used mebendazol, not recommended as an antiparasitic drug.

51 (51.5%) had not heard of hydatidosis, 69 (69.7%) did not know that it affects humans and 88 (88.9%) did not know how to prevent it.

Conclusions: Although the level of antiparasitic dog treatment is acceptable, there is a high lack of knowledge of the disease, its methods of transmission and its consequences among the interviewees, which leads us to propose a health education plan based on the paper of the community pharmacist as first level health worker.