Participatory Epidemiology Of Newcastle Disease Across The Rift Valley In Manyoni District, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to assess the contribution of local knowledge, practices and attitudes of the rural community in relation to disease occurrence, poultry production systems, and management practices in the face of outbreaks of Newcastle disease in vaccinating and non-vaccinating wards. Participatory epidemiology techniques were employed in twelve selected villages to collect data. The information collected covered the existence of poultry diseases, clinical signs, disease incidences, perceptions regarding disease causes, the use of the vaccine, seasonal patterns, veterinary and local knowledge concerning the control of Newcastle disease. A questionnaire was used to collect data on the production system and management practices. Data were subjected to descriptive statistical analyses. The Chi-square statistic was used for testing relationships between categorical variables. Friedman test and Kendall coefficients of concordance were used to determine the level of agreement between informant groups. Results from the study indicated that village chickens, at 21.1%, constituted the largest proportion of livestock species kept. Newcastle Disease, fowl typhoid, coccidiosis, fowl pox, ectoparasites and endoparasites were reported to be the poultry diseases affecting poultry production. Newcastle disease was described to be the most economically important disease in non-vaccinated areas and ectoparasites were the most important in vaccinating areas. The occurrences of Newcastle disease was described to coincide with onset of dry season with a peak in September. Also, there is a considerable use of local remedies and antibiotics to treat Newcastle disease. The traditional remedies used are neem tree, aloe vera and moringa while conventional treatment included tetracycline, amoxicillin and metronidazole. The results from the study show the difference in attitude and management practices between vaccinating and none vaccinating households had a contribution to the outbreaks of Newcastle disease to the village chickens.