Tebug Stanly Fon, Njunga Gilson R, Chagunda Mizeck G G, Mapemba Jacob P, Awah-Ndukum Julius, Wiedemann Steffi
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, University of Kiel.
Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 2014 Feb 28;81(1). doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v81i1.594.
Milk production using local cattle breed-types is an age-old practice in Malawi. Although dairy farming is becoming more common as a result of the increasing population and demand for milk and milk products, there is limited knowledge of the farmers' awareness of zoonotic disease risks, their preventative practices and the disease burden in animals. This study determined dairy farmers' general knowledge of zoonoses, assessed their risks for infection with zoonotic bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and brucellosis, and evaluated farm practices to prevent disease transmission. A questionnaire was drawn up and administered by the authors. It was used to collect information about the knowledge and preventive practices of 140 out of 684 registered dairy farmers at Mzuzu Agricultural Development Division, northern Malawi. During a second visit to 60 out of the 140 farms, a total of 156 and 95 cattle were tested for brucellosis and tuberculosis, respectively. Most farmers (77.1%) knew or had heard of zoonotic diseases, whilst 75.0% correctly named at least one zoonotic disease. More survey participants named tuberculosis as a zoonotic disease compared to brucellosis (74.3% versus 2.9%). The most commonly named means of transmission were milk (67.0%) and meat (56.0%). Almost all survey participants (96.4%) practised at least one farm activity that could lead to potential transmission of brucellosis or bTB, including sale (67.0%) and consumption (34.0%) of unpasteurised milk. Antibodies against brucellosis were found in 12 cattle (7.7%), whilst one animal (1.1%) reacted to the tuberculin skin test. General knowledge about possible transmission of diseases between humans and animals was high, although most farmers practised risk behaviours that could potentially expose the public to milk-borne zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis and bTB. Furthermore, some animals had positive results for brucellosis and tuberculosis tests. Therefore, improvement of zoonotic disease prevention programmes, as well as further investigation into the prevalence and risk factors for zoonoses, is recommended.
在马拉维，利用当地牛品种进行牛奶生产是一项由来已久的做法。尽管由于人口增长以及对牛奶和奶制品需求的增加，奶牛养殖变得越来越普遍，但农民对人畜共患病风险的认知、他们的预防措施以及动物疾病负担方面的知识却很有限。本研究确定了奶农对人畜共患病的一般知识，评估了他们感染人畜共患牛结核病（bTB）和布鲁氏菌病的风险，并评估了农场预防疾病传播的做法。作者编制并发放了一份问卷。该问卷用于收集马拉维北部姆祖祖农业发展司684名注册奶农中140名奶农的知识和预防措施信息。在对140个农场中的60个进行的第二次走访中，分别对总共156头和95头牛进行了布鲁氏菌病和结核病检测。大多数农民（77.1%）知道或听说过人畜共患病，而75.0%的人能正确说出至少一种人畜共患病。与布鲁氏菌病相比，更多的调查参与者将结核病列为一种人畜共患病（74.3%对2.9%）。最常被提及的传播途径是牛奶（67.0%）和肉类（56.0%）。几乎所有调查参与者（96.4%）都至少进行了一项可能导致布鲁氏菌病或bTB潜在传播的农场活动，包括销售（67.0%）和饮用（34.0%）未经巴氏杀菌的牛奶。在12头牛（7.7%）中发现了抗布鲁氏菌病抗体，而有1头牛（1.1%）对结核菌素皮肤试验有反应。尽管大多数农民的行为存在风险，可能会使公众接触到如布鲁氏菌病和bTB等通过牛奶传播的人畜共患病，但他们对人畜之间疾病可能传播的一般知识掌握得较好。此外，一些动物的布鲁氏菌病和结核病检测结果呈阳性。因此，建议改进人畜共患病预防计划，并进一步调查人畜共患病的流行情况和风险因素。
