The role of veterinary and medical personnel in the control of zoonoses in urban settlements on the shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya
View/ Open
Date
2010Author
Kagira, John M
Kanyari, Paul W. N
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Rapid urbanization and livestock keeping in urban and periurban areas especially in the developing
countries pose great challenges to the management of human and animal health. The role played by relevant
stakeholders in the control of zoonoses in urban areas has not been well evaluated. A questionnaire survey was
undertaken in Kisumu municipality, Kenya, to assess the common zoonoses encountered, their management and
role played by veterinary and medical personnel in zoonoses control. Fifteen veterinary and nine medical
personnel participated in the study. The main zoonoses encountered by the personnel included rabies,
brucellosis, hydatidosis, cysticercosis and toxoplasmosis. A significantly (p<0.05) higher number of veterinary
than medical personnel reported hydatidosis, cysticercosis and rabies as being more common. The opposite was
true for toxoplasmosis. The animals with the highest zoonoses risks according to the veterinary and medical
personnel were dogs (71%) and cattle (78%) respectively. There were a significantly higher (p<0.05) proportion
of medical (88%) than veterinary personnel (73%) who gave advice to immune-compromised patients regarding
the zoonotic risks. Minimal communication existed between the two professions regarding zoonoses occurrence
and control. In conclusion, the study found that there were differences on the perception on the occurrence and
control of zoonoses in the municipality. It is recommended that an inter-disciplinary approach should be used for
the control of zoonoses in the study area.