The Current Status of Protozoan Parasitic Diseases in Cyprus: A Narrative Literature Review

Infections caused by parasites affect millions of people around the world and cause human death worldwide. Most of the protozoan exists as free-living species in different aquatic environments as well as some of the species living in association with host organisms and can infect the host. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the available information concerning infectious parasitic diseases in Cyprus. Data on protozoan parasitic infections/carriage prevalence in Cyprus is limited, possibly due to the unknown levels of pathogens contamination in the water supplies and in the ecosystem, which could relate to tourism on the island—a major pillar in the Cypriot economy. Tourists and immigrants represent a melting pot of many human activities that brings many people from all over the world together and potentially serves as a source for contamination that can cause endemic infectious diseases on the island.