Cost-effective control strategies for animal and zoonotic diseases in pastoralist populations

Abstract

Animal diseases and zoonoses abound among pastoralist livestock, which is composed of cattle, sheep, goats, yak, camels, llamas, reindeer, horses and donkeys. There is endemic and, periodically, epidemic transmission of highly contagious viral and bacterial diseases in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Pastoralist livestock is often multiparasitised with endo- and ectoparasites, as well as being affected by vectorborne viral and protozoal diseases. Pastoral livestock can be a reservoir of such diseases and can also, conversely, be at risk from exposure to wildlife reservoirs. Public and private animal health services currently underperform in almost all pastoral areas due to structural reforms and lack of income, as indicated in assessments of national Veterinary Services by the World Organisation for Animal Health. Control of infectious disease in industrialised countries has been achieved through large-scale public funding of control measures and compensation for culled stock. Such means are not available in pastoralist areas of most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). While the cost-effectiveness and profitability of the control of animal diseases and zoonoses is less of a consideration for industrialised countries, in the experience of the authors, understanding the economic implications of a control programme is a prerequisite for successful attempts to improve animal health in LMICs. The incremental costs of animal disease control can potentially be shared using crosssector assessments, integrated control, and regional coordination efforts to mitigate transboundary disease risks. In this paper, the authors discuss cost-effective animal disease and zoonoses control in LMICs. It illustrates frameworks and examples of integrated control and cross-sector economics, showing conditions under which these diseases could be controlled in a cost-effective way.

Knowledge and practices surrounding zoonotic disease among Mongolian herding households

“…The faecal-oral spread of zoonotic disease is prevalent in areas without access to safe WASH barriers like clean water, hand washing with soap, and the proper disposal of excrement (Ecrumen et al 2017;Penakalapati et al 2017;Zambrano et al 2014). When an outbreak of zoonotic disease is potentially occurring, it is critical to report the event to a local veterinarian or human health care provider so that treatment or control procedures can be administered to stop the spread of infection (Zinsstag et al 2016c;Barnes et al 2017). However, less than half of the participating herders notified their veterinarian of the diarrhoeal disease circulating among their animals.…”

“…Animal husbandry has been associated with human infections of diarrhoeal agents such as Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia intestinalis, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli (Hong et al 2014;Zambrano et al 2014). Nomadic herding livestock commonly suffer from co-infections of protozoa, other enteric and ectoparasites, and viral vector-borne disease (Zinsstag et al 2016c). When animals are sick, they present a health hazard not only to humans but also to their means of revenue (McFadden et al 2016).…”

“…As with other pastoral communities, the herding households of rural Mongolia are semi-nomadic and set up in seasonal camps traversing large swaths of shared steppe and desert pasture (Bedunah and Schmidt 2004). Herds intermingle as they free-range across the steppe and desert and frequently come in contact with wildlife, which may contribute to an increase in livestock zoonotic disease rates (Bedunah and Schmidt 2004;Odontsetseg et al 2007Odontsetseg et al , 2009Zinsstag et al 2016c). Most families live in gers, which are collapsible, round felt tents resembling the western notion of a yurt (Ahearn 2018b).…”

“…Since pastoralist communities are often excluded from large health surveys globally, it is difficult to truly assess the current zoonotic disease burden among rural nomadic humans, animals, and their environment (Schelling et al 2016;Zinsstag et al 2016c). Still, previous research has shown an increased prevalence of zoonotic disease among herder families in Mongolia (Mocellin and Foggin 2008).…”

The future of pastoralism: an introduction

“…Good quality human and animal health surveys are feasible among pastoralists but are still not commonly done, as shown by Esther Schelling et al (43). Jakob Zinsstag et al (44) argue that costeffective control strategies are needed to improve animal health, and Fayiz Abakar et al (45) outline the potential for collaborative provision of veterinary and public health services for pastoralists.…”