Assessment of Farmers Knowledge and Attitude on Vaccination of Livestock and its Implications in Ejere District of West Shewa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Vaccine is one of the major ways of preventing and controlling infectious diseases of humans and animals including birds. The questioner survey was conducted purposively in three selected kebeles, namely Kimmoye, Damotu, and Amaro of Ejere district West Shewa Zone of Oromia Region, Ethiopia from July 2021 to September 2021 in order to assess the knowledge and attitudes of the farmers on the livestock vaccination. A total of 120 respondents were interviewed for this study and face-to-face semi-structured questionnaire survey was employed to collect required data on the livestock vaccination. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square (χ 2 ) were used for the data analyses. In present study, the highest numbers of the farmers (79%) were found to use antibiotics as primary choice to prevent and control livestock diseases. Whereas 21% of the farmers replied on the use of vaccines. Large numbers (45%) of the farmers reared animals both for income and cultural purpose. However, 12% and 43% of the farmers were holding the animals only for culture and income issues, respectively. Additionally, 79% of the farmers in the study area did not take any training on the animal diseases and vaccinations. More than 50% of the farmers did not have good knowledge and positive attitudes toward animal vaccination. Finally, this study revealed, there was lack of awareness among the community about animal diseases and vaccination. Therefore, creating awareness concerning animal diseases and vaccination in the study area is imperative.

Evaluation of livestock farmers’ knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the use of veterinary vaccines in Southwest Ethiopia

“…In agreement with this finding, several studies (Donadeu et al, 2019;Girma et al, 2022;Smith et al, 2022) In the present study, residence has a significant influence on knowledge of veterinary vaccines. The urban-rural disparity in knowledge may be influenced by factors, such as access to educational resources, exposure to veterinary services and differences in socioeconomic status (Amemiya et al, 2023).…”

“…It is possible that males in Southwest Ethiopia have better access to educational resources or have more exposure to information about veterinary vaccines, thus resulting in higher knowledge levels. Previous studies have highlighted gender differences in knowledge-seeking behaviours and access to educa-tional resources, which might explain the disparity in knowledge levels between males and females (Girma et al, 2022;Lindahl et al, 2019;Nuvey et al, 2023;Ochieng et al, 2012). The association found in this study between being male and exhibiting good practices in veterinary vaccination was consistent with the findings of studies conducted by Acosta et al (2022), Campbell et al (2018 and Williams et al (2022).…”

“…However, Ethiopia faces livestock perils from infectious diseases like Foot‐and‐Mouth Disease, Newcastle Disease, Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia, Peste des Petits Ruminants, Anthrax, Blackleg and Infectious Bursal Disease (Duguma & Janssens, 2021; Welay et al., 2018). Tailored species‐specific vaccination programmes prevent beef, poultry and dairy animals from contracting these diseases (Girma et al., 2022). Vaccination is widely recognized as a crucial tool in preventing and controlling infectious diseases in livestock.…”

“…By identifying the advantages and drawbacks of veterinary vaccines in Southwest Ethiopia, it becomes possible to formulate targeted interventions and educational programmes. These efforts can then be designed to improve livestock vaccination coverage and general animal well‐being (Girma et al., 2022).…”

“…However, the successful implementation of vaccination programmes relies not only on the availability of vaccines but also on the understanding, perspectives and behaviours of livestock farmers towards their use (Duamor et al., 2021). Understanding the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices among livestock farmers is crucial for designing and implementing effective vaccination strategies that can maximize the benefits of vaccines and ensure their sustainable utilization (Girma et al., 2022; Kansiime et al., 2015; Schat, 2014).…”