Cultural Drivers of Brucellosis and Treatment Pathways for Febrile Illnesses Among Agro Pastoralists in Kilombero District, Tanzania
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Date
2022Author
Ng’ang’a, Caroline M
Type
ThesisLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Cultural Drivers and Treatment Pathways for Brucellosis in Kilombero District,
Tanzania
In livestock, brucellosis leads to losses in domestic animals and chronic disease in humans. It
has been prioritized for control in Tanzania. Low awareness and risky behavior can hamper the
efforts to control this disease. This disease mostly affects agro pastoralists because of their
close interaction with livestock, consumption of raw animal products and the handling of
aborted material. This study examined the awareness, perceptions, knowledge and behaviour
related to brucellosis in Kilombero district guided by the Socio-ecological model. The study
was cross sectional with agro pastoralists, local livestock, public health and wildlife officials
participating. Quantitative data were collected through 333 structured interviews while
qualitative data were collected through 39 in depth interviews, 16 key informant interviews
and 7 focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analysed through summary and inferential
statistics. Thematic analysis was conducted for the qualitative data.
In this study, only 7.2% of respondents had ever heard of brucellosis in livestock and none had
ever heard of the disease in humans. Most of the participants had no knowledge about the
disease, its causes, signs and risk factors for humans and domestic animals. The study found
that the symptoms associated with brucellosis infection are recognized but are attributed to
trypanosomiasis and supernatural reasons instead. Culturally acceptable practices like drinking
unpasteurized milk, consuming raw blood, handling aborted material and living in close
proximity to livestock are considered normal and are not at all associated with the risk for
brucellosis. Communities lack knowledge and have misconceptions regarding this zoonotic
disease. Herbs, over the counter drugs were used as an initial course of action during a febrile
illness. Traditional healers were used for repeated episodes of febrile illness usually after the
use of conventional treatment. Formal healthcare was not used initially unless in cases of severe
disease or for little children and older people.
In conclusion, there is low awareness, inadequate knowledge, misconceptions and behaviour
risking transmission with brucellosis in Kilombero district among the agro pastoralists. The
pluralistic approaches in health care seeking for febrile illnesses can lead to misdiagnosis and
inadequate treatment leading to chronic illness, poor productivity and death. This study
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proposes regular sensitisation and engagement with the community so as to address these issues
in ways that can eventually lead to behaviour change and the adoption of safer practices. This
study also suggests that close collaborations between communities, policy makers and
scientists are enhanced so that culturally relevant and sustainable brucellosis control programs
are implemented.
Publications
Publication 1:
Title: Lay attitudes and misconceptions and their implications for the control of brucellosis in
an agro-pastoral community in Kilombero district, Tanzania.
Authors: Caroline M Mburu, Salome A Bukachi, Kathrin H Tokpa, Gibert Fokou, Khamati
Shilabukha, Mangi Ezekiel, Bassirou Bonfoh, Rudovick Kazwala, Katharina Kreppel.
Journal: PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Year of Publication: 10th June 2021
Link: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009500
Publication 2:
Title: Determinants of treatment-seeking behaviour during self- reported febrile illness
episodes using the socio-ecological model in Kilombero District, Tanzania.
Authors: Caroline M Mburu, Salome A Bukachi, Khamati Shilabukha, Kathrin H Tokpa,
Mangi Ezekiel, Gibert Fokou, Bassirou Bonfoh, Rudovick Kazwala.
Journal: BMC Public Health
Year of Publication: 5th June 2021
Link: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11027-w
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
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