Knowledge of and Practices Around Zoonotic Diseases Amongst Actors in the Livestock Trade in the Lake Victoria Crescent Ecosystem in East Africa

Abstract Background: Zoonotic diseases pose a direct threat to health and undercut livelihoods in the communities in which they occur. A combination of anthropogenic, animal and ecosystem activities drives the emergence and re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. Consequently, One health approaches are necessary to alleviate disease impacts. Livestock traders interact closely with livestock, which puts them at high risk of infection and creates conditions by which they may spread zoonotic. It is thus essential to examine practices among actors involved in the livestock trade to understand how well to mitigate these risks. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among the actors in the livestock trade in Busia County on their knowledge, attitudes and practices that may contribute to the spread, control and prevention of zoonotic disease transmission. A thematic analysis framework was used to categorize and synthesize data from in-depth interviews (IDIs) and the key informant interviews ( KIIs). Results: Whereas participants could list livestock diseases, they could not identify them as zoonotic demonstrating insufficient knowledge of zoonosis. They identify sick animals by checking for dropped ears, mass mucus production; diarrhea; bloody urinal discharge; and general animal activity levels. To prevent the spread of these diseases, they wash their animals, isolate sick animals from the rest of the stock; vaccinate their animals. They seek help from animal health professionals for the sick animals as curative practices. The practices of skinning dead animals before burying them and the consumption of dead carcasses increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. Conclusions: Livestock actors are critical in the prevention and elimination of zoonotic diseases, hence they need to be involved when developing intervention programs and policies for the animal health extension services. Training them as a continuum of animal health workers blends lay and professional knowledge, which alongside their intense contact with large numbers of animals becomes a critical disease surveillance tool. Increasing awareness on zoonoses by using multi-disciplinary teams with social scientists so that the risky but deeply rooted traditional practices can be minimized is needed urgently.