Kelly Terra R, Bunn David A, Joshi Nanda P, Grooms Daniel, Devkota Durga, Devkota Naba R, Paudel Lok Nath, Roug Annette, Wolking David J, Mazet Jonna A K
One Health Institute, University of California, 1089 Veterinary Medicine Drive, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR), Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Ecohealth. 2018 Sep;15(3):656-669. doi: 10.1007/s10393-018-1343-4. Epub 2018 Jun 4.
Increasing livestock production to meet growing demands has resulted in greater interactions at the livestock-wildlife-human interface and more opportunities for zoonotic disease spread. Zoonoses impose enormous burdens on low-income countries like Nepal, where populations are largely dependent on livestock production and access to shared grazing lands, often near protected areas, due to population pressures. Several livestock-associated zoonoses have been reported in Nepal; however, little is known regarding Nepali farmers' knowledge of zoonoses and opportunities for disease management. We conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate Nepali farmers' awareness of zoonoses, assess current health challenges, and evaluate disease prevention and control practices. We found that awareness of zoonotic pathogens was limited, especially in informally educated and illiterate farmers; the majority of which were women. Further, farmers' preventive herd health, food safety, and sanitation practices were not associated with their awareness. Several farmers reported high-risk practices despite being aware of zoonotic diseases, suggesting a disconnect between the farmers' awareness and practice. Our study highlights the need for improving Nepali farmers' knowledge of zoonoses and disease prevention measures. Closing these awareness-practice gaps will require an improved understanding of risk and effective drivers of behavior change, alongside engagement of farmers in development of zoonotic disease prevention programs that encourage participation of both male and female farmers across all levels of education.
增加牲畜产量以满足不断增长的需求，导致了牲畜 - 野生动物 - 人类界面的互动增多，以及人畜共患病传播的更多机会。人畜共患病给尼泊尔等低收入国家带来了巨大负担，由于人口压力，这些国家的人口在很大程度上依赖牲畜生产，并经常在靠近保护区的共享放牧地放牧。尼泊尔已报告了几种与牲畜相关的人畜共患病；然而，对于尼泊尔农民对人畜共患病的了解以及疾病管理机会知之甚少。我们进行了一项横断面研究，以调查尼泊尔农民对人畜共患病的认识，评估当前的健康挑战，并评估疾病预防和控制措施。我们发现，对人畜共患病原体的认识有限，特别是在未受过正规教育和文盲农民中；其中大多数是女性。此外，农民的预防性畜群健康、食品安全和卫生习惯与他们的认识无关。尽管一些农民意识到人畜共患病，但仍报告了高风险行为，这表明农民的认识与行为之间存在脱节。我们的研究强调了提高尼泊尔农民对人畜共患病和疾病预防措施认识的必要性。弥合这些认识与行为之间的差距，需要更好地理解风险和行为改变的有效驱动因素，同时让农民参与人畜共患病预防计划的制定，鼓励各级教育水平的男女农民都参与其中。
