Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Department of Animal Health and Food safety, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Animal Research Institute, Accra, Ghana.
Vet Med Sci. 2020 Aug;6(3):631-638. doi: 10.1002/vms3.257. Epub 2020 Apr 3.
Zoonotic infectious diseases (ZIDs) are increasing globally, and livestock farmers in low- and middle-income countries are at particularly high risk. An evaluation of farmer's behaviour on farms can be used to identify the risk factors and to develop tailored control strategies. This study documents the knowledge of zoonotic poultry diseases (ZPD) among 152 poultry farm workers (respondents) from 76 farms in the Ashanti region of Ghana and assessed their on-farm attitude and practices that increase their risk to exposure of ZPD. The median age of respondents was 29 years, 91.4% (n = 139) had a formal education, and 80.9% (n = 123) had worked on the farm for more than 1 year. The majority of farms (n = 69, 90.8%) had multiple flocks and 27.6% (n = 21) kept other animals, of which 57.1% (n = 12) were pigs. The majority of respondents had good knowledge about poultry diseases but not about ZPD. A higher level of education and longer work experience improved respondents' knowledge of poultry and ZPD. Although respondents identified the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a major ZPD preventive measure, the majority did not put that knowledge into practice. Most farms (71.1%, n = 54) had no footbath and 55.3% (n = 42) deposited farm-waste on the farm. While 97.4% (n = 148) of respondents washed their hands after working, only 48.7% (n = 74) wore protective footwear, 2.7% (n = 4) wore overalls, 2% (n = 3) wore nose masks and none (n = 0) wore gloves. The husbandry practices and attitude of farmers expose them to pathogens on the farm and increase their risk of becoming infected with ZPD in the sub-region. The results from this study could be used to promote human health among farm workers in Ghana.
人畜共患传染病（ZIDs）在全球范围内呈上升趋势，中低收入国家的牲畜饲养者面临着特别高的风险。评估农民在农场的行为可以用来确定风险因素，并制定有针对性的控制策略。本研究记录了加纳阿散蒂地区 76 个农场的 152 名家禽养殖工人（受访者）对人畜共患病的知识，并评估了他们在农场的态度和增加接触人畜共患病的风险的做法。受访者的中位年龄为 29 岁，91.4%（n=139）接受过正规教育，80.9%（n=123）在农场工作超过 1 年。大多数农场（n=69，90.8%）有多个禽群，27.6%（n=21）饲养其他动物，其中 57.1%（n=12）是猪。大多数受访者对家禽疾病有很好的了解，但对人畜共患病了解甚少。较高的教育水平和较长的工作经验提高了受访者对家禽和人畜共患病的知识。尽管受访者认为佩戴个人防护设备（PPE）是预防人畜共患病的主要措施，但大多数人并没有将这一知识付诸实践。大多数农场（71.1%，n=54）没有洗脚池，55.3%（n=42）在农场堆放农场废物。虽然 97.4%（n=148）的受访者在工作后洗手，但只有 48.7%（n=74）戴防护鞋，2.7%（n=4）穿工作服，2%（n=3）戴口罩，没有人（n=0）戴手套。农民的饲养方式和态度使他们接触到农场中的病原体，增加了他们在该次区域感染人畜共患病的风险。本研究的结果可用于促进加纳农场工人的健康。
