Pujani Gunasekara Umayangana, Wasantha Kalupahana Anil, Deepachandi Gunasekara Yasodhara, Silva-Fletcher Ayona, Sagarika Kalupahana Ruwani
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Central, Sri Lanka.
Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Vet Med Sci. 2025 Jan;11(1):e70214. doi: 10.1002/vms3.70214.
Family poultry farming plays a crucial role in ensuring protein availability and household income, particularly in low-income families. This study investigates the knowledge, attitudes and practices of family poultry farmers regarding poultry diseases, biosecurity and vaccinations. The research involved surveying 150 farmers in a selected area in Sri Lanka's western province, revealing significant knowledge gaps, particularly in understanding poultry diseases, their causes, transmission pathways and potential impacts on humans. Most respondents demonstrated a lack of familiarity with biosecurity practices, with only a small fraction accurately identified recommended measures. Among the total respondents, only 16.7% were familiar with the term 'biosecurity'. Additionally, only 29.3% recognized that family poultry could pose a threat to public health. A significant majority (84.67%) admitted to not knowing which diseases could be effectively prevented through vaccination, and 80% of respondents had never vaccinated their birds. These findings highlight the challenges faced by family poultry farmers due to their limited understanding of crucial aspects of poultry management. The study underscores the need for government intervention and policy development to address these issues. Education and training programmes are essential to enhance farmers' awareness regarding disease control, biosecurity measures and the benefits of vaccination.
家庭家禽养殖在确保蛋白质供应和家庭收入方面发挥着关键作用，尤其是在低收入家庭中。本研究调查了家庭家禽养殖户对家禽疾病、生物安全和疫苗接种的知识、态度和做法。该研究对斯里兰卡西部省份一个选定地区的150名养殖户进行了调查，结果显示存在重大的知识差距，特别是在了解家禽疾病、其病因、传播途径以及对人类的潜在影响方面。大多数受访者对生物安全措施缺乏了解，只有一小部分人准确识别出推荐的措施。在所有受访者中，只有16.7%的人熟悉“生物安全”一词。此外，只有29.3%的人认识到家禽可能对公共卫生构成威胁。绝大多数（84.67%）的人承认不知道哪些疾病可以通过疫苗接种有效预防，80%的受访者从未给他们的家禽接种过疫苗。这些发现凸显了家庭家禽养殖户由于对家禽管理关键方面的理解有限而面临的挑战。该研究强调了政府干预和政策制定以解决这些问题的必要性。教育和培训计划对于提高养殖户对疾病控制、生物安全措施和疫苗接种益处的认识至关重要。
