Risk factors associated with the outbreak of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Chisamba district, Zambia.
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Date
2024
Authors
Kamasongo, Oscar Kamaya
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a highly contagious and severe infectious disease of cattle that is listed as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). CBPP is caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony, which can lead to severe cattle losses. In 2022, two districts in Zambia, Chibombo and Chisamba, recorded outbreaks of CBPP. To halt the spread of CBPP to nearby districts, a mass slaughter exercise was conducted in which livestock farmers lost their cattle. It was thus the objective of this study to determine the risk factors that facilitated the occurrence of the disease in the district of Chisamba and assess the knowledge of cattle farmers on CBPP. Chisamba district is known for having many farms and for its agricultural activities hence the impact of a CBPP outbreak on the economy cannot be ignored. Data was collected using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised a total of 42 questions, divided into three sections namely, demographic information of the participants, cattle management practices on the farms, and knowledge of CBPP of the participants. The questionnaire was administered to 55 participants who comprised both commercial (10) and small-scale (45) livestock farmers in Chisamba district.
Only adults (18 years and above) who owned cattle or farm workers actively involved in cattle management, and had agreed to participate by way of a signed consent, were enrolled in the study. A snowball sampling technique was employed to select the individual participants and purposive
sampling was used to select the farms. Of the 55 farms from which the participants were drawn, only 2 farms had recorded positive cases of CBPP. Eight risk factors were assessed and these were the age of cattle, sex of cattle most affected, herd size, mode of feeding, source of water, cattle trading, access to veterinary services, and housing facility of cattle. In the current study, only trading of cattle (p-value = 0.039: RR = 1.238, 95% CI), was strongly associated with the occurrence of CBPP, suggesting that trade and movement of infected cattle which were mixed with the old healthy herds could have precipitated the CBPP outbreak in the district. Moreover, the low numbers (13.8%) of participants with some knowledge of CBPP and the factors associated with it were worrying. Hence the study recommends that the government, relevant bodies, as well as farmers must strictly check the health status of animals before they can engage in cattle trading. Furthermore, there is a need to regularly engage livestock farmers and educate them about diseases of economic importance such as CBPP. The study will help raise awareness on better cattle trading practices and knowledge of farmers.
Description
Thesis of Master of Science in Tropical Infectious Diseases and Zoonosis.