Participatory epidemiological study on the occurrence of reportable priority cattle diseases in two selected districts southern nations, nationalities and peoples’ regional state

Abstract

A participatory epidemiological (PE) study was conducted between October 2016 and March 2017 in Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS)to assess occurrence of reportable cattle diseases and the level of awareness of livestock keepers’ towards cattle diseases. The PE study was conducted on 12 key informant groups (each comprising 8-12 members) selected from two districts (Bensa and Boloso Sore). Data collection tools used in PE study consisted of semi-structured interviews, simple scoring, matrix scoring, pair-wise ranking, proportional piling and seasonal calendars. Non-parametric tests and descriptive statistics were used to analyze data generated from PE. The study revealed that cattle are the most frequently kept and valuable livestock for the farmers (Kendall’s coefficient of concordance, W = 0.79 & 0.80; p = 0.001 &<0.001). The informants underscored that they keep cattle mainly for cash income, traction power, milk production, meat production, and breeding in descending order of priority. However, diseases, feed and water shortage, labor power, inadequate veterinary service and poor market availability were claimed by the farmers to be the main constraints for cattle production. Based on the impact of the diseases on the morbidity and mortality of cattle and livelihood of farmers, the key informant ranked anthrax as the first disease followed by blackleg and HS. In pair-wise ranking of the diseases for their impact, a strong agreement was noted among the key informant groups in both of the districts (W = 0.95 & 0.47; p<0.001 & 0.023). The informant groups estimated that 31.5% of the total cattle population became ill by the five top diseases they listed during the year preceding this study of which 31.3% were died. Good agreement was evident among the informants groups concerning the seasonal occurrence of blackleg, HS, LSD, FMD and rabies (W = 0.42 – 0.93; p<0.05; <0.01 &<0.001) while weak agreement was obtained for seasonality of anthrax (W = 0.16; p>0.05). Informants agreed that the incidence of HS, LSD, FMD and rabies is higher in the long rainy season (Jun-Aug) while blackleg occurs most often in the dry season. In conclusion, in the PE study, a strong level of agreement was noted between the key informant groups in ranking the diseases in their frequency of occurrence, impact and seasonal distribution showing that livestock keepers have a good perception about cattle diseases occurring in their localities.