Missing link in control of Tuberculosis transmission to human: Evidence from quantitative survey of livestock community resource persons of Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Abstract Dairy farming in India is considered one of the pathways to moving out of poverty for more than 80 million marginalized rural households. However, there are challenges in productivity and production due to disease and other factors. In addition to these challenges the intensification in smallholder dairying likely to increase the incidence of bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) and paves way for potential public health risks due its zoonotic potential. Currently information is available with regard to knowledge, perception and adoption of practices associated with control of bTB transmission from among farmers and there is absence of information regarding the understanding bTB among livestock community resource persons. This demands an understanding of the knowledge and perception of community-level livestock resource persons who are engaged in livestock extension services for farmers, regarding bovine tuberculosis and consequence of knowledge and perception of community resource persons on their operational areas. Currently India has 42913 women community level livestockresource persons as a part of National Rural Livelihood Mission. In this study, knowledge, perceptions and practices associated with tuberculosis were studied and analyzed among 149 community level workers. The results showed above workers had limited knowledge (2.20%) on Bovine tuberculosis. Added they had poor perception with factors associated with control of bovine tuberculosis. Further adoption of risk-prone practices such as drinking of un-pasteurized milk, poor sanitization practices after handling animal among cattle owning community resources persons and also in their operational areas of which may increase the risk of transmission to the common public, including farmers. The contact with livestock extension system has not improved the knowledge on zoonotic potential and perception of zoonotic control associated practices of btB as similar to human health system which is revealed in the past studies. Thus there is imperative need to integrate both human and livestock system in communication strategies on btB. Furthermore caste, education, contact with extension agency and farming experience of community level workers influences on perception and adoption of zoonotic control practices. This needs to be considered during communication programmes / technology transfer activities which has potential to influence perception and on zoonotic control practices associated with bTB.