Stratton J, Toribio J-A L M L, Suon S, Young J R, Cowled B, Windsor P A
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camden, NSW, Australia.
Department of Animal Health and Production, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Transbound Emerg Dis. 2017 Apr;64(2):634-643. doi: 10.1111/tbed.12432. Epub 2015 Oct 31.
A cross-sectional survey of 445 Village Animal Health Workers (VAHWs) from 19 provinces in Cambodia was undertaken. The aim was to establish their levels of training, farm visit frequency, reasons for visits and disease reporting practices, enabling the strengths and weaknesses of the VAHW system in Cambodia to be determined, in providing both a fee-based smallholder livestock clinical service and a government partnership in transboundary animal disease (TAD) surveillance and control. The study used 'guided group interviews' and identified that VAHWs had good contact with farmers with 61.5% making more than one farm visit daily. However, incomes from services remained low, with 45% VAHWs obtaining between 20 and 40% of their household income from VAHW activities. VAHWs recorded relatively high rates of disease reporting, with 72% claiming they report diseases immediately and 74% undertaking monthly reporting to veterinary authorities. Logistic regression analysis revealed VAHW contact frequency with district and/or provincial officers was associated with more VAHW farm visits, and frequency of VAHW visits to smallholder farms was positively associated with average monthly expenditure on animal medication and equipment. This suggests that increased veterinary extension to VAHWs and access to veterinary equipment, vaccines and drugs may further increase VAHW-farmer engagement. VAHWs provide an accessible, market-based, animal health 'treatment and reporting' service linked to livestock smallholders across Cambodia. However, for improved TAD prevention and more efficient control of outbreaks, research that assesses provision of an animal health 'preventive-based' business model is urgently needed to reduce both the costs to farmers and the risks to the economy due to foot-and-mouth disease and other TADs in Cambodia.
对柬埔寨19个省份的445名村级动物卫生工作者（VAHWs）进行了横断面调查。目的是确定他们的培训水平、农场访问频率、访问原因和疾病报告做法，以便确定柬埔寨VAHW系统在提供收费的小农户牲畜临床服务以及在跨境动物疾病（TAD）监测和控制方面与政府合作中的优势和劣势。该研究采用了“引导式小组访谈”，发现VAHWs与农民有良好的联系，61.5%的人每天进行不止一次农场访问。然而，服务收入仍然很低，45%的VAHWs从VAHW活动中获得的家庭收入在20%至40%之间。VAHWs记录的疾病报告率相对较高，72%的人声称他们会立即报告疾病，74%的人每月向兽医当局报告。逻辑回归分析显示，VAHW与地区和/或省级官员的联系频率与更多的VAHW农场访问相关，VAHW对小农户农场的访问频率与动物用药和设备的月平均支出呈正相关。这表明，加强对VAHWs的兽医推广以及提供兽医设备、疫苗和药品可能会进一步增加VAHW与农民的互动。VAHWs提供了一项可及的、基于市场的动物健康“治疗和报告”服务，与柬埔寨各地的小农户牲畜养殖者相关联。然而，为了更好地预防跨境动物疾病和更有效地控制疫情爆发，迫切需要开展研究，评估提供一种基于动物健康“预防”的商业模式，以降低柬埔寨农民的成本以及口蹄疫和其他跨境动物疾病给经济带来的风险。
