PREVALENCE, DETERMINANTS AND PUBLIC AWARENESS OF INTERNAL HELMINTHES OF COMMERCIALLY VIABLE FISH SPECIES IN LAKE CHAMO, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Fish serve as vital source of food, employment, trade and economic wellbeing for people. But, it is hindered by a variety of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and most commonly parasites. Parasites cause the nutritive devaluation, retarded growth, morbidity, mortality of fish and public health importance. However, the status of internal parasitic helminthes of fish has not been studied sufficiently in Ethiopia, particularly in Lake Chamo. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was conducted from October, 2023 to June, 2025 with the aims to estimate prevalence, identify associated determinants, and assess awareness level of communities towards public health importance of internal parasitic helminthes of commercially viable fish species in Lake Chamo, Southern Ethiopia. The study was conducted on 369 commercially viable fish species that were either randomly or conveniently selected from local fisherman. Also a total of 156 respondents were surveyed using a structured questionnaire to assess awareness level of community towards fish parasites at the vicinity of Lake Chamo. The overall prevalence of fish helminthic parasite infection was 67.8% with high prevalence (80.6%) observed in Oreochromis niloticus and no parasite identified in H. vittatus. Univariable logistic regression analysis showed that odds of infection were statistically significant with more likely in Oreochromis niloticus (OR=2.9, C.I=1.32-6.54), female (OR=1.6, C.I= 1.03-2.49) and in large standard length (OR=2.2, C.I=1.15-4.16) compared to their respective categories. From identified fish helminthic parasite the dominant parasite was Clinostomum (57.6%) followed by Cestode larvae (50.8%), Contraceacum (12.8%), Acanthocephala (6%), Cestode (3.2%) and unidentified parasite (3.2%). The questionnaire survey revealed that 90.4% respondents living around the Lake Chamo has the habit of eating raw fish and 100% of them had a critical deficiency in the practical application of preventive measures. Generally, the current study relieved the presence of internal parasitic helminthes affecting commercially viable fish specious in Lake Chamo with awareness level gap and poor management practices that could exposes communities to contracting fish borne zoonosis. Thus integrated parasitic control approaches involving fish, humans and the environment should be applied in the study area.