Department of Veterinary Medicine, Zhangir Khan West Kazakhstan Agrarian-Technical University, Oral, Kazakhstan.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Saken Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.
Vet Med Sci. 2023 May;9(3):1417-1425. doi: 10.1002/vms3.1097. Epub 2023 Mar 3.
This study was performed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of farmers and veterinary professionals towards foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in the area studied.
The study was based on a comprehensive questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Between January and May 2022, 543 households and 27 animal health practitioners (AHP) were visited in 4 provinces of the West Kazakhstan region to assess their KAPs towards FMD.
A large proportion of herd owners (84%) had known the name of the disease, and nearly a half (48) of respondents had heard of FMD cases on farms in the neighbourhood. Oral mucosa lesions were the most consistent with clinical sign characteristic of FMD among farmers (31.4%), followed by hoof blisters (27.6%) and excessive salivation (18.6%). Farmers reported that new animal introduction was potentially the main factor associated with FMD occurrence in their herds. Over half of farmers (54%) interviewed prefer not to purchase livestock from unknown or potentially epidemiologically disadvantaged areas.
All AHPs (27) reported that in their zone of veterinary responsibilities, vaccination against FMD is not practised because the area investigated possesses FMD-free status. However, in the past few years, numerous FMD outbreaks have been detected throughout the region. For this reason, immediate actions need to be taken to prevent further FMD occurrences by giving the region a status of an FMD-free zone with vaccination. The current study demonstrated that inadequate quarantine controls of imported animals, absence of regular vaccination and unrestricted animal movement within the country were the primary obstacles in controlling and preventing FMD in the investigated area.
本研究旨在评估研究区域内农民和兽医专业人员对口蹄疫（FMD）的知识、态度和实践（KAP）。
该研究基于通过面对面访谈进行的综合问卷。2022 年 1 月至 5 月，在哈萨克斯坦西部 4 个省份，共访问了 543 户家庭和 27 名动物健康从业者（AHP），以评估他们对口蹄疫的 KAP。
很大比例的养殖户（84%）知道疾病的名称，近一半（48%）的受访者听说过附近农场的口蹄疫病例。口腔黏膜病变是农民对口蹄疫最一致的临床特征（31.4%），其次是蹄部水疱（27.6%）和过度流涎（18.6%）。农民报告说，新动物的引入是其畜群中口蹄疫发生的主要潜在因素。超过一半（54%）的受访者表示，他们宁愿不从未知或可能在流行病学上处于劣势的地区购买牲畜。
所有 AHP（27 人）报告称，在他们的兽医责任区内，不进行口蹄疫疫苗接种，因为调查区域处于无口蹄疫状态。然而，在过去几年中，该地区已经发现了许多口蹄疫疫情。因此，需要立即采取行动，通过给该地区接种疫苗使其成为无口蹄疫区，以防止进一步发生口蹄疫。本研究表明，对进口动物的检疫控制不足、缺乏定期接种疫苗以及在国内不受限制的动物流动是控制和预防该地区口蹄疫的主要障碍。
