Practice and Understanding of Urban Dairy Farmers Towards Brucellosis at Kombolcha (Amhara Region, Ethiopia): Preliminary Study

Abstract

Urban dairy farmers of Kombolcha purchase pure and high-grade Holstein Friesian cows from different corners of the country regardless of being free from or certified from bovine brucellosis. In the study area (Kombolcha), documented report on practice and knowledge of urban dairy farmers towards Brucellosis is absent or not found. Therefore, it is high time to know the practice and understanding of dairy farmers about the zoonotic disease, brucellosis, and avail information to Kombolcha Regio-polytan livestock resource development office for proper support to dairy farmers. The objective of this study is, therefore, to assess the current practice and knowledge of smallholder urban dairy farmers about Brucellosis. The design of the study is cross sectional and data were collected through single-visit-multiple-subjects formal survey technique and analyzed using SPSS software. A total of 96 urban small holder dairy farms (study units) were assessed during the study period. A substantial number of respondents consume raw milk without any sort of heat treatment and do not have information on bovine brucellosis mode of transmissions. All respondents have never heard about transmission of brucellosis from animals to human beings and perform risky practices unknowingly. It is therefore, high time to aware urban dairy farmers about bovine brucellosis.