Background. Giardia lamblia is an important cause of diarrhoeal disease throughout the world. Giardiasis— a mild and self-limiting disease that this protozoan causes— is perceived as a harmful disease. Aim. To explore the general level of awareness about giardiasis, clinical features, mode of transmission, prevention, and consequences and describe the sources and channels of information caregivers would prefer using to be informed about this disease. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among caregivers attending to the outpatient paediatric hospital setting in Havana. Results. A total of 202 caregivers were interviewed. Nearly 73% considered giardiasis as a modern problem, and 39% considered that it could be a fatal disease. Although 76.7% were aware that small intestine is the organ affected, other localizations were cited. Abdominal pain and diarrhoea were recognized as the commonest symptoms. Around one-third could identify that giardiasis may spread through drinking unboiled water and unwashed vegetables other incorrect ways were mentioned; respondents with more than 12 years of formal education were more likely to have better knowledge. Discussion. Strategies to control giardiasis need to be through an integrated approach aiming at boosting caregivers’ knowledge and encouraging healthcare workers to act as a readily available source for health information. 1. Introduction Giardia lamblia, probably the most frequent pathogenic intestinal protozoan infection in man, is an important cause of diarrhoeal disease in children and adults throughout the world. Although giardiasis—the disease this protozoan causes—is usually perceived as mild and self-limiting, symptoms generally subside within 2-3 weeks in otherwise healthy individuals. This infectious disease may have both immediate and long-term consequences including chronic diarrhoea with or without dehydration and intestinal malabsorption, recurrent abdominal pain, and weight loss [1]. Additionally, it has been currently related to chronic fatigue [2], postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome [3, 4], and particularly, in early childhood, poor cognitive function and failure to thrive [5]; all of these have attracted an increasing attention to this protozoan infection in the recent years. Despite its worldwide distribution, Giardia is more common in developing countries. Data from surveys, excluding documented outbreaks, indicate that in industrialized countries the prevalence rate is between 2% and 5%. In contrast, it ranges from 20% to 30% in developing countries [1]. Data on the prevalence
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