Assessment of Veterinary Extension Service And Public Perception on Zoonotic Disease at Robe Veterinary Clinic of Bale Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Amir Adam, Sultan Abda Neja

The study was conducted to assess the current veterinary extension service as well as perception of animal owners on zoonotic diseases at Robe veterinary clinic. A survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to Au- gust 2021. 384 animal owners who brought their animals for treatment were interviewed. Data were analized using Statistical Program of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 software packages. The result indicated that 70.8% of respondents had no veterinary extension service. The majority (88%) had no access to the veterinary consultant. Al- though 51.6% of them used artificial insemination, only 7.8% of them know how to detect estrous. The most frequently known zoonotic diseases were Rabies (96.6%) followed by Anthrax (33.07%), and Tuberculosis (4.2%). Out of the 96.6% of respondents that replied to know about Rabies, 51.8% of them mentioned the disease can be transmitted only through dog biting while 14.8% of them say through biting and contact with saliva. Likewise, only 43.3% of re- spondents perceive that Anthrax is transmitted through ingestion, whereas 85% of them mentioned Tuberculosis can be transmitted from animal to humans only through inhalation. Although most animal owners prefer early treatment of animals in the veterinary clinic, there are also practices of traditional animal treatment. Remarkable only 16.4% and 24.7% of respondents know the importance of vaccination and slaughterhouse respectively. 93.8% and 94.8% of them still consume raw milk and meat respectively. The finding indicates that veterinary extension services are a neglected venture; the knowledge, attitude, and practice on prevention and control of infectious zoonotic diseases are still insufficient. Therefore there should be multidisciplinary one-health approach in educating the community about infectious and zoonotic diseases.

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