Knowledge and practices of pig farmers regarding Japanese encephalitis in Kathmandu, Nepal

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dc.contributor.authorDhakal, S.
dc.contributor.authorStephen, C.
dc.contributor.authorAle, Anita
dc.contributor.authorJoshi, D.D.
dc.date.accessioned2013-04-15T19:05:15Z
dc.date.available2013-04-15T19:05:15Z
dc.date.copyright2012
dc.date.issued2012
dc.description.abstractJapanese encephalitis (JE) is the single largest cause of viral encephalitis in the world and has been endemic in Nepal since the early 1980s. Since then, it has spread from its origins in lowland plains to the Kathmandu Valley as well as in hill and mountain districts. Pigs are amplifying hosts for the virus. The Nepal government has been encouraging the development of pig farming as a means of poverty alleviation. Whereas other countries have reduced JE through vaccination programmes and improvements in pig husbandry, these options are not economically possible in Nepal. The objective of this study was to examine the occupational risk of pig farmers in Nepal and to determine their level of knowledge and practice of JE prevention techniques. We surveyed 100 randomly selected pig farmers in the Kathmandu District and found that pig farmers were exposed to many JE risk factors including poverty and close proximity to pigs, rice paddy fields and water birds, which are the definitive hosts for the virus. Forty-two percent of the farmers had heard of JE, 20% associated it with mosquito bites and 7% named pigs as risk factors. Few protective measures were taken. None of the farmers were vaccinated against JE nor were any pigs, despite an ongoing human vaccination campaign. This farming community had little ownership of land and limited education. JE education programmes must consider gender differences in access to public health information as there were an equal number of male and female farmers. We provide findings that can inform future JE education programmes for this vulnerable population.en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationDhakal, S., Stephen, C., Ale, A., & Joshi, DD. (2012). Knowledge and Practices of Pig Farmers Regarding Japanese Encephalitis in Kathmandu, Nepal. Zoonoses and Public Health, 59(8), 568-574.doi:10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01498.xen
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10625/50927
dc.identifier.urihttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22587420
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherBlackwell Verlagen
dc.subjectJAPANESE ENCEPHALITISen
dc.subjectPIGen
dc.subjectFARMERSen
dc.subjectKNOWLEDGEen
dc.subjectNEPALen
dc.subjectPIG FARMINGen
dc.subjectMOSQUITOSen
dc.subjectOCCUPATIONAL HEALTH HAZARDSen
dc.subjectLIVELIHOODSen
dc.titleKnowledge and practices of pig farmers regarding Japanese encephalitis in Kathmandu, Nepalen
dc.typeJournal Article (peer-reviewed)en
idrc.copyright.holderBlackwell Verlag GmbH
idrc.dspace.accessIDRC Onlyen
idrc.noaccessDue to copyright restrictions the full text of this research output is not available in the IDRC Digital Library or by request from the IDRC Library. / Compte tenu des restrictions relatives au droit d'auteur, le texte intégral de cet extrant de recherche n'est pas accessible dans la Bibliothèque numérique du CRDI, et il n'est pas possible d'en faire la demande à la Bibliothéque du CRDI.en
idrc.project.number106739
idrc.project.titleReducing Vulnerability to the Threat of Japanese Encephalitis in Nepalen
idrc.recordsserver.bcsnumberIC01-244-7
idrc.rims.adhocgroupIDRC SUPPORTEDen

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IDRC Research Results / Résultats de recherches du CRDI
2010-2019 / Années 2010-2019
Agricultural Transformation / Transformation agricole
Asia / Asie
Communicable Diseases / Maladies transmissibles
Research Results (Ecohealth) / Résultats de recherches (Écosanté)