Assessment of Practices Enhancing the Prevalence of Brucellosis Among Rural Women Farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract

Improvement in practices among farmers could play a major role in the reduction of brucellosis among farmers in the farming areas. The study aimed at assessing the practices enhancing the prevalence of brucellosis among rural women farmers in Kwara state, Nigeria. Three hundred women farmers were interviewed using a questionnaire with questions about socio-economic characteristics, living conditions of the respondents and their animals, level of awareness about brucellosis and practices they engaged in. Descriptive statistics, chi square and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze data collected. About 72.0% of the respondents were aware of brucellosis. The study also revealed that 71.0% identified consumption of raw cow milk as a practice enhancing brucellosis transmission, 71.3% consumed raw cattle milk, majority consumed raw cattle meat products, 65.3% had contacts with infected people, 72.0% also had contact with infected cattle, 66.7% dumped of aborted cattle on the street and 72.0% treated sick cattle at home. Conclusively, Consumption of raw cow milk, consumption of raw cattle milk, consumption of raw cattle meat products, contact with infected people, contact with infected cattle, dumping of aborted cattle on the street and treating sick cattle at home were identified to be practices engaged in by the women farmers that enhanced the prevalence of brucellosis transmission. There is need for training programmes on preventive practices especially the rural women who have closest proximity to livestock in order to prevent human and animal morbidity and reduce the burden of brucellosis.

Keywords

• assessment
• brucellosis
• practices
• transmission
• prevalence