Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through Community Conversations in rural Ethiopia

Abstract

Background Enhanced availability of veterinary drugs in Ethiopia has led to a growing use of these drugs in food-producing animals. However, the use of drugs in livestock production is not commonly supervised. In addition, smallholder livestock keepers often lack sufficient training and information about how the drugs work and their appropriate usage to achieve the intended impact. Methods We used Community Conversations to raise awareness and knowledge about antimicrobial use among rural communities. This revealed perceptions and practices of rural households regarding the use of antimicrobials and the risk of drug resistance in livestock. We used women-only, men-only, and mixed-gender discussion groups to explore the gendered perceptions and practices of community members regarding antimicrobial use and resistance. Results The discussions with rural communities identified factors that contribute to the misuse of antimicrobials, including poor regulatory system, limited diagnostic capacity, and inadequate knowledge and information among community members regarding the appropriate usage of antimicrobials and the potential resistance emergence. Conclusions Raising awareness about antimicrobial use and the potential emergence of resistance is an effective approach to promoting behavior change among rural communities concerning the use of antimicrobials and enhancing livestock management practices. The insights gained from understanding the perceptions and practices of rural communities regarding the use of antimicrobials can help in developing targeted education and training programs for stakeholders involved in the antimicrobial supply chain.