Lay perceptions, beliefs and practices linked to the persistence of anthrax outbreaks in cattle in the Western Province of Zambia

Abstract

Anthrax, a neglected zoonotic disease that is transmitted by a spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, Bacillus anthracis, has reached endemic proportions in the Western Province of Zambia. Transmission of anthrax from the environment as well as between cattle has been observed to be partly because of entrenched beliefs, perceptions and traditional practices among cattle farmers in the known outbreak areas. This study was aimed at exploring lay perceptions, beliefs and practices that influence anthrax transmission in cattle of the Western Province. A mixed-methods study was conducted from August to December 2015. Quantitative data were collected using a cross-sectional survey. Qualitative data were generated by interviewing professional staff and community members. Five focus group discussions and five key informant interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis of interview data was performed using NVivo software. The findings suggested that cattle anthrax was biologically as well as culturally maintained. Cattle farmers were reluctant to have their livestock vaccinated against anthrax because of perceived low efficacy of the vaccine. Also, the cattle farmers did not trust professional staff and their technical interventions. Popular cultural practices that involved exchange of animals between herds contributed to uncontrolled cattle movements between herds and subsequent transmission of anthrax. These findings imply the need for professional staff to be culturally competent in handling socio-cultural issues that are known to be barriers for disease control in animals. There is a need to develop a policy framework that will foster integrated control of anthrax across disciplines.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Anthrax in Northern Ethiopia: a mixed approach study

“…Key informants also said that there were remote and inaccessible areas which could not get veterinary services. Sitali et al [13,27] reported that practices that can be used to prevent anthrax have been impacted by infrastructure. Bruce and Phelan (1995) postulated the essential feature of fundamental social causes which involve access to resources (e.g.…”

“…So also, another study reported that lack of awareness on zoonotic diseases was due to poor communica tion between veterinarian and human health-care pro fessionals and lack of involvement of educated family members in farming activities [31]. Speci cally, in Zambia it had been reported that the persistence of anthrax outbreak was linked to perceptions, beliefs and practices of farmers, which meant that cattle farmers were reluctant to have their livestock vaccinated against anthrax because of perceived low e cacy of the vaccine, and besides, farmers did not trust professional staff and their technical interventions [13].…”

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Anthrax in Northern Ethiopia: a mixed approach study

“…The occurrence of anthrax outbreaks in a particular location mostly depends on the existence of interacting factors, which include unique characteristics of the bacterium, environmentally related features, animal densities and human activities [10,11]. It was also found that outbreak of anthrax had been associated with ecological, demographic, and sociocultural factors [12,13]. Seasonal variation of livestock and human anthrax has been reported because occurrence of human cases was highly correlated with animal anthrax outbreaks [14].…”

“…In most cases, human behaviors, especially slaughter and consumption of meat from animal anthrax cases, has been implicated [26]. In Zambia, Popular cultural practices that involved exchange of animals between herds contributed to uncontrolled cattle movements between herds facilitate subsequent transmission of anthrax [13]. In Tanzania, it has been documented that demographic characteristics, sleeping on animal's skins, contacting with infected carcasses through skinning and butchering, and not having formal education were linked to exposure for anthrax infection [20].…”

“…So also, another study reported that lack of awareness on zoonotic diseases was due to poor communication between veterinarian and human health-care professionals and lack of involvement of educated family members in farming activities [31]. Speci cally, in Zambia it had been reported that the persistence of anthrax outbreak was linked to perceptions, beliefs and practices of farmers, which meant that cattle farmers were reluctant to have their livestock vaccinated against anthrax because of perceived low e cacy of the vaccine, and besides, farmers did not trust professional staff and their technical interventions [13].…”