Alveolar echinococcosis is one of the most important lethal zoonotic helminth
infections in the northern hemisphere. Currently, the threat to public health is increasing, as evidenced by the rising prevalence rate of
alveolar echinococcosis, as well as the invasion of urban areas by infected wild foxes. This threat is further increased due to the involvement of pet dogs, and probably cats, as emerging sources of
infection. These increased threats to public health also have associated economic risks; therefore, there is a need for effective and sustainable methods of control. In this paper, initiatives to control
alveolar echinococcosis by targeting its definitive hosts through
anthelmintic baiting campaigns initiated by local residents who used local resources for bait production, distribution and collection of fecal samples for diagnosis are described. Further, when such distribution programs are coupled with the use of GIS-based maps, the optimum distribution of bait was obtained. These programs have also included the use of intravital diagnostic analyses of
infection rates, which have been overseen by the Forum on Environment and Animals (FEA), and also allowed a nationwide monitoring of
echinococcosis in difinitive hosts. In addition, a government initiative requiring mandatory reporting of
echinococcosis in dogs to health authorities was recently initiated in Japan. Overall, the results of this study have shown that use of collaborative control initiatives targeting zoonotic agents of
alveolar echinococcosis can be an effective method for reducing the threat of lethal
echinococcosis in the northern hemisphere.