doi: 10.14202/IJOH.2024.82-90
Article history: Received: 25-10-2023, Accepted: 07-02-2024, Published online: 07-03-2024
Corresponding author: Abdoul Madihou Ousmane Hamid
E-mail: hamidous.fr@gmail.com
Citation: Hamid AMO, Dahourou LD, and Alambedji RB (2024) Assessment of abattoir workers and livestock keepers’ knowledge and practices regarding bovine tuberculosis in Senegal, Int. J. One Health, 10(1): 82-90.Background and Aim: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major zoonosis in Senegal, accounting for 33% of all zoonotic disease reports in 2019. The aim of this study was to assess bovine TB knowledge and practices of abattoir workers in Dakar and livestock farmers in Pout.
Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study on knowledge and practices of Dakar abattoir workers (butchers, transporters, sellers, and animal health workers) and Pout livestock farmers regarding bovine tuberculosis. R 3.2.6 was used for descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Fischer’s exact tests, and STATA 13 was used for univariate and multivariate logistic regressions.
Results: A total of 274 abattoir workers and livestock farmers were interviewed: 103 (37.6%) from Dakar abattoir and 171 (62.4%) from Pout farms. Respondents were predominantly male (75.2%), aged 30–59 years (67.5%), and had at least 10 years of experience (51.8%). The majority (98.2%) were aware of TB, but only 31.4% knew that it was zoonotic. Only 2.5% (7/274) of participants had satisfactory TB knowledge, which differed according to study area, experience, profession, and good practice (p = 0.05). Abattoir workers were 11 times more likely than farmers to have good TB knowledge (odds ratio [OR] = 11.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1–114.3). Respondents with 5–10 years of experience were 16.9 times more likely to have good knowledge of TB (OR = 16.9; 95% CI = 1.7–163.4). The majority of participants preferred raw milk (83.6%) and undercooked meat (83.6%). Only 29.6% of participants had good practices, which differed with respect to study area, gender, marital status, age, occupation, and knowledge of TB (p = 0.05). Age (OR = 3.3; 95% CI, 1.3–8.3) was identified as a good practice adoption predictor.
Conclusion: Globally, there was a low level of good knowledge and practices regarding TB among respondents. There is a need for mass education through multi-sectoral collaboration between health professionals (humans and animals) using a One Health approach.
Keywords: animal, human, public health, tuberculosis, zoonosis.
The document is about a research article that assesses the knowledge and practices of abattoir workers and livestock keepers regarding bovine tuberculosis in Senegal.
The study assessed the knowledge and practices regarding bovine tuberculosis (TB) among abattoir workers in Dakar and livestock keepers in Pout, Senegal.
The majority of respondents (98.2%) were aware of TB, but only 31.4% knew that it was a zoonotic disease.
Only 2.5% of participants had satisfactory TB knowledge, with abattoir workers being 11 times more likely than farmers to have good TB knowledge.
The majority of participants preferred raw milk (83.6%) and undercooked meat (83.6%), indicating a lack of good practices in preventing TB transmission.
Factors such as study area, experience, occupation, and level of good practice were found to influence knowledge and practices regarding TB.
The abattoir in Dakar was selected for the study because it receives animals from various regions of Senegal and neighboring countries, where the incidence of bovine TB is significant.
Men were more represented in the study sample, which can be attributed to the physically demanding nature of abattoir work, which is predominantly performed by men.
Abattoir workers had better knowledge and practices regarding TB compared to farmers, possibly due to their daily work requiring a minimum level of hygiene and awareness about the disease.