Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Public Awareness of Internal Helminthes in Commercial Fish of Lake Chamo, Southern Ethiopia.

Fish is a vital source of food, employment, trade, and economic well-being for people. But, it is hindered by a variety of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, and most commonly parasites. The impact and public health importance of parasitic helminthes in fish which cause devaluation, retarded growth, morbidity, and mortality have not been sufficiently studied in Ethiopia, especially in Lake Chamo. Therefore, this cross-sectional study was conducted in Lake Chamo, Southern Ethiopia from October 2023 to December 2024 to estimate the prevalence, identify determinants, and assess community awareness towards public health importance of parasitic helminthes in commercially viable fish species. The study was performed using 369 commercially viable fish species selected from local fishermen either randomly or conveniently. A total of 156 respondents at vicinity of Lake Chamo were surveyed using structured questionnaire to assess their awareness level towards fish parasites. The overall prevalence of fish helminthic parasite infection was 67.8% (250/369) with high prevalence observed in Oreochromis niloticus (80.6%) and no parasite identified in Hydrocynus vittatus. Univariable logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of infection were statistically significant with more likely in O. niloticus (OR = 2.9, CI = 1.32-6.54), female (OR = 1.6, CI = 1.03-2.49), and in large standard length (OR = 2.2, CI = 1.15-4.16) compared with their respective categories. From identified fish helminthes, Clinostomum (57.67%) was dominant genus followed by cestode larvae (50.8%), Contracaecum (12.8%), Acanthocephala (6%), cestode (3.2%), and unidentified parasite (3.2%). The survey revealed widespread consumption of raw fish (90.4%) around Lake Chamo, coupled with a total absence (100%) of practical preventive measures among respondents. Generally, commercially viable fish in Lake Chamo are widely affected by internal helminthes, creating a risk of fish borne zoonosis due to poor management and low awareness level. Thus, integrated parasitic control approaches involving fish, humans, and the environment should be applied in the study area.