Abstract
BackgroundAvian influenza is a considerable threat to global public health. Prevention and control depend on awareness and protective behaviours of the general population as well as high risk-groups. This study aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to avian influenza among poultry workers in Nepal.MethodsThe study was based on a cross-sectional study design, using a structured questionnaire administered in face-to-face interviews with 96 poultry workers age 15 and above from the Rupandehi district in Nepal.ResultsThe majority of respondents were male (80%), mean age was 35 (SD = 11.6). Nearly everybody was aware that AI cases had been detected in Nepal and that poultry workers were at risk for infection. The major sources of AI information were radio, TV and newspapers. Knowledge about preventive measures was high with regard to some behaviours (hand washing), but medium to low with regard to others (using cleaning and disinfecting procedures or protective clothing). Poultry workers who got their information from TV and newspapers and those who were more afraid of contracting AI had higher knowledge than those who did not. Being employed as compared to being an owner of a poultry farm as well as having a high level of knowledge was associated with practising more preventive behaviours. While on one hand many specific government control measures found a high degree of acceptance, a majority of study participants also thought that government control and compensation measures as a whole were insufficient.ConclusionsThe study provides information about knowledge and practices regarding avian influenza among poultry workers in Nepal. It highlights the importance of targeting lack of knowledge as well as structural-material barriers to successfully build preparedness for a major outbreak situation.
Highlights
Avian influenza is a considerable threat to global public health
To prepare the sampling frame a list of poultry farms in Rupandehi was obtained from the District Livestock Services Office (DLSO), which runs a registry of all farms which habitually house more than 50 chickens
As the questionnaire was administered via personal interviews complete datasets were obtained for all respondents on the variables used in the analyses
Summary
Avian influenza is a considerable threat to global public health. Prevention and control depend on awareness and protective behaviours of the general population as well as high risk-groups. Depending on the planning scenario, fatality numbers are estimated between 15,000 and 130,000 and large numbers of people in need of Prevention and control planning have to take account of the whole population, but there are subgroups which are critical, such as poultry or pig farmers, who are among those first in line when it comes to risk of contracting AI. They are expected to be a “bridging population” in terms of cross-species sharing of viruses and of spreading the disease into their local communities [7,8]. A mass media campaign informing about risks and motivating for protective behaviours had been started already soon after HPAI hit Asia in 2003 and was intensified after it had reached Nepal in early 2008
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