Levels of vitamin A and selenium of children with cystic echinococcosis in Aba Tibetan and Qiang and Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the levels of vitamin A and selenium in children with echinococcosis in Ganzi and Aba. METHODS: Twenty-six children with cystic echinococcosis and 104 apparently healthy controls from the Aba and Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan province in China were recruited. The serum levels of selenium and vitamin A of the cases and controls were detected and stratified by sex and age. RESULTS: The results showed that the ratio of boys to girls was 1:1.36. Compared with the healthy controls, the vitamin A serum levels of the cases significantly declined. The rate of selenium deficiency was high in the cases, but there was no significant difference compared with the control group. Additionally, the lower the vitamin A serum level, the higher the risk for developing echinococcosis. CONCLUSIONS: To improve management strategies in children with cystic echinococcosis, or possibly to prevent the disease, children living in high-risk areas for cystic echinococcosis should be given supplemental vitamin A and encouraged to consume a vitamin A-rich diet containing paw-paw, carrot, palm oil, or fish. Children with vitamin A deficiency in high-risk areas should be screened for cystic echinococcosis.

A Knowledge Survey on Health Education of Echinococcosis Among Students - Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, 2020.

What is already known about this topic?: Previous surveys have mainly focused on how well residents and primary school students have understood the core knowledge of echinococcosis control and are limited in terms of the comprehensiveness of the knowledge category and respondents. What is added by this report?: There were some shortcomings in related knowledge of echinococcosis among students, which showed a tendency to know methods but not the rationale. The differences among regions indicated a lack of a unified system for training educators and allocating comprehensive educational material. What are the implications for public health practices?: The results of this study provide evidence to potentially help improve health education programs in the new phase of echinococcosis prevention and control in China.