A cross-sectional study was conducted on selected dairy farms in and around Jimma town, Oromia, southwestern Ethiopia from November 2019 to May 2020 to determine the seroprevalence of Leptospira interrogans serogroup Sejroe serovar Hardjo (L. hardjo). Furthermore, information was gathered on individual animal and herd level by using pretested semistructured questionnaire to assess associated risk factors. A stratified and simple random sampling procedure was used for the selection of dairy farms and individual animal’s, respectively. Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA) was used in this study to detect antibody against L. hardjo. Out of 384 animal’s sera, 94 animals were seropositive against L. hardjo antibodies. From 77 dairy farms selected for the study, 57 of them were distinguished as positive for L. hardjo. The overall seroprevalence of leptospirosis caused by L. hardjo was 24.48% (95% CI: 20.18%–28.78%) and 74.03% (95% CI: 64.23%–83.82%) at individual animal and farm level, respectively. The result of multilogistic regression analysis revealed that management system ( p  < 0.05; OR = 4.25 (95% CI: 2.31–7.82)), hygienic status of the farm ( p  < 0.05; OR = 0.35 (95% CI: 0.20–0.61)), age of animals ( p  < 0.05; OR = 8.30 (95% CI: 1.87–36.89)), history of abortion ( p  < 0.05; OR = 8.37 (95% CI: 1.73–40.42)), herd size ( p  < 0.05; OR = 2.32 (95% CI: 1.17–4.61)), and access of rodents to the farm ( p  < 0.05; OR = 0.17 (95% CI: 0.03–0.86)) were significantly associated with the occurrence of L. hardjo infection. However, breed, parity, and introduction of new animals to the farm were insignificantly associated ( p  > 0.05). Management system of the animal, hygienic status of the farm, herd size, age of animals, previous history of abortion, and access of rodents to the farm were identified as potential risk factors of L. hardjo disease occurrence. Thus, limiting rodents contact with cattle and their feed and water as well as good sanitary practices and husbandry management should be undertaken.

The study was conducted in Meda Welabu district, Bale zone, Ethiopia from March 2019 to November 2019 to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of the community toward rabies using a community based cross sectional study supported by semi-structured questionnaire survey. Meda Welabu district and the kebeles were selected purposively and by lottery method respectively, while the households from each kebeles were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Of 400 people interviewed, the majority of participants (88%) had been heard of rabies previously and 52.5% of them knew dogs as the reservoir of rabies. About 73% of them answered bite is the major source of rabies transmission and 62.8% could able to describe the symptoms of rabies in dogs. Statistically significant difference was revealed between some key questions related to KAP and explanatory variables like sex (P<0.001), age (P<0.001) educational levels (P<0.001) and religion (P<0.001) of respondents. Generally, the people in this area are a little bit known about rabies; however, they have negative attitude and practice on rabies. Therefore, an education outreach should be conveyed to ensure accurate knowledge, improve attitude and practice about rabies in this area.

Brucellosis is an infectious zoonotic bacterial disease caused by a member of the genus Brucella. The disease affects both animals and human beings resulting in a serious economic loss in the animal production sector and deterioration of public health. Bovine brucellosis is highly prevalent and has significant economic and zoonotic implications for the rural communities in consequence of their traditional lifestyles, feeding habits, and disease patterns. The possible sources of infections include all infected tissues, aborted fetuses, vaginal discharges, and potentially contaminated materials. The nature of the pathogenesis of the diseases lies in the presence of the bacteria in the cells and employing various methods to survive in the phagocytic cells. The disease can be transmitted from an infected host to susceptible animals in direct and indirect contact. Various methods are employed for the diagnosis of brucellosis including microscopic examination, culture methods, serological and molecular biology. The public health importance of brucellosis is much related to the infected animal species from which human transmission occurs. The economic importance of brucellosis depends upon the species of animal affected. It can cause considerable losses in cattle as a result of abortion and a reduction in milk yield. The most rational approach for control of Brucella abortus infection is by vaccinating young female animals. To deal with diseases like brucellosis, the public in general and high-risk groups, in particular, should be made aware of the zoonotic and economic importance of brucellosis through veterinary extension education.

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