Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Zoonotic Diseases and Control Among Actors in Livestock Trade in Busia County, Western Kenya

Abstract

Zoonotic diseases pose a direct health threat to the communities in which they occur, and they concurrently undermine livestock keepers' livelihoods. A combination of anthropogenic, animal, and ecosystem activities drives the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. Understanding people's knowledge, attitudes, and practices in communities related to zoonotic diseases is essential for their prevention, control, and eventual elimination. Within non-pastoral communities, it is crucial to examine practices amongst actors (trekkers and traders) involved in the livestock trade. These may heighten the risk of contracting zoonotic diseases or impact their control. This study differs from a traditional focus on pastoralists' practices in arid and semi-arid lands. A predominantly crop-producing area with cross-border trade between Kenya and Uganda, Busia County was chosen for this study. This was an ethnography with actors involved in livestock trade on their knowledge, attitude, and practices to prevent zoonotic disease transmission. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with thirty (30) purposely sampled informants using unstructured observation of the activities of the actors and nine (9) key informant interviews. The findings indicate some knowledge about zoonotic diseases among the interviewed livestock traders and trekkers. Brucellosis, foot and mouth disease (FMD), and anthrax were mentioned as common diseases by many of the actors in the livestock trade. The actors identify sick animals by checking if the animal has: dropping ears, a lot of mucus in the nose, diarrhea, blood-stained urine, and low activity levels. The zoonotic control measures employed by actors included isolating sick animals, vaccinating against certain diseases, treating sick animals, and separating animals to be traded from those to be kept. The actors engage in risky practices like skinning dead animals before burying and consuming dead carcasses which increase the risk of zoonotic

disease transmission. In conclusion, the study demonstrates a need for increased awareness of potential zoonotic disease prevention and control measures among actors involved in the livestock trade. Therefore, there is an urgent need for increased awareness of zoonoses within livestock keeper and trader communities, and these campaigns need to utilize multi-disciplinary teams with an understanding of human health, animal health, and social scientists so that professional knowledge, lay knowledge, and traditional practices can be adequately taken into consideration to reduce zoonotic disease transmission best and so One Health approaches are necessary to alleviate disease impacts in the community.