Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination in South Sudan: Benefit-Cost Analysis and Livelihoods Impact

Abstract

A benefit-cost analysis of vaccination for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was conducted in an area of South Sudan, which due to chronic conflict, had been subject to large-scale humanitarian assistance for many years. The study used participatory epidemiology (PE) methods to estimate the prevalence and mortality of acute and chronic FMD in different age groups of cattle, and the reduction in milk off-take in cows affected by FMD. The benefit-cost of FMD vaccination was 11.5. Losses due to the chronic form of FMD accounted for 28.2% of total FMD losses, indicating that future benefit-cost analyses for FMD control in pastoral and agropastoral areas of Africa need to consider losses caused by chronic disease. Participatory epidemiological methods were also used to assess the importance of milk in the diet of Nuer agropastoralists, and seasonal variations in diet in relation to cattle movements and FMD outbreaks. Marked seasonal variation in diet included a 'hunger gap' period during which households were highly dependent on milk as their main source of food. Outbreaks of FMD occurred immediately before this period of milk dependency, with chronic losses extending through this period and affecting human food security. The paper discusses the need and feasibility of mass vaccination and strategic vaccination for FMD in South Sudan. The paper also discusses the value of combining conventional benefit-cost analysis with livelihoods analysis to inform disease control efforts and funding commitments in humanitarian contexts.

Economic losses associated with Peste des petits ruminants in Turkana County Kenya

“…The value of milk was based on local market rates converted into US$. Other economic losses occasioned by failed socio-cultural obligations and networks following the loss of animals are difficult to quantify (Barasa et al 2008).…”

“…The participatory methodologies used in estimating the variables in this analytical model assumed a model herd of 100 sheep and 100 goats; therefore, the results were further extrapolated to cover actual field population of Turkana County as described by Barasa et al (2008). Thus, the model herd costs are converted to field herd model cost by the formula:…”

“…Estimations of direct economic losses due to PPR mortality and morbidity in sheep and goats were calculated with the formulae derived from Bennett and Kitching (2000), Kivaria (2006), Singh and Prasad (2008) and Barasa et al (2008) as expressed below, using the variables in Table 1.…”

“…This information was collected from 30 livestock and 10 women milk traders selected purposively across the study area. Milk production and losses were estimated as described by Barasa et al (2008), by asking the milking person to show her milking container and mark the level of milk produced by healthy goat and sheep. Water was filled to the marked level shown and then measured by a calibrated container.…”

Cost-benefit analysis of foot and mouth disease control in Ethiopia

“…Some of these costs were excluded because of lack of reliable data. For example, FMD is known to have a chronic form that has significant economic impact on the affected animals (Barasa et al, 2008;Bayissa et al, 2011), but no information was available about its incidence during outbreaks.…”