Hydatid Disease (Echinococcosis)

Complications /Information to beware of/General tips:

Medical Emergency Condition

And/or do not wait, phone for an ambulance if have or develop:

• Liver disease
• Polycystic liver disease
• Severe swelling over abdominal area and or severe abdominal pain
• Anaphylactic reaction
• Any large lumps on skin

This condition can lead to:

• Appendicitis

General tips

Take the following steps to avoid passing the illness on to others:

• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after going to the toilet.
• Stay away from work or school until you’ve been completely free from any symptoms for at least 48 hours.
• Help young children to wash their hands properly.
• Don’t prepare food for others until you’ve been symptom free for at least 48 hours.
• Don’t go swimming until you’ve been symptom free for at least 48 hours.
• Where possible, stay away from other people until your symptoms have stopped.
• Wash all dirty clothes, bedding and towels on the hottest possible cycle of the washing machine.
• Clean toilet seats and toilet bowls, and flush handles, taps and sinks with detergent and hot water after use, followed by a household disinfectant.
• Avoid sexual contact until you’ve been symptom free for at least 48 hours.

NHS choices 

Travel

If you’re travelling to a country where there’s a high risk of getting the condition, the Information below can help prevent infection:

• Don’t drink the local water unless you’re sure it’s clean (sterile) – drink bottled water or drinks in sealed cans or bottles.
• If the water isn’t sterile, boil it for several minutes or use chemical disinfectant or a reliable filter.
• Don’t clean your teeth with tap water.
• Don’t have ice in your drinks because it may be made from unclean water.
• Avoid fresh fruit or vegetables that can’t be peeled before eating.
• Avoid food and drink sold by street vendors, except drinks in properly sealed cans or bottles.

NHS choices

Future advise especially when travelling to an infectious country:

• Fresh foods: those that are peeled or cooked are the safest
• Avoid high risk foods like shellfish
• Boiling water is the best method of sterilisation
• Chemicals are useful for preparing safe drinking water but have their limitations
• Chlorine-based tablets are widely available and will be appropriate for most travellers
• More intrepid travellers and those planning to use surface waters as a drinking water source should use an iodine-based product.

• Iodine or chlorine used for water purification (as discussed later) can also be used for soaking and manufacturers of food products give recommendations for the appropriate concentrations.

There are three methods by which the traveller can prepare clean drinking water:

• Boiling:
  • Boil water for a full five minutes at any altitude.
• Chemical disinfection:
  • Iodine, chlorine, katedyne silver.
• Filtration

The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, January 2000;():DOI:10.1211/PJ.2000.20000218

Lumps on the skin can be mistaken for and/or show similar symptoms to:

• Dercum’s disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Bursitis
• Boils/Abscess
• Madelung disease
• Gardner’s syndrome
• Lymphoma

Please talk to your healthcare professional (i.e. Medical Doctor/Pharmacist) for further advice