Explore the vast range of titles available.

Equids play a crucial role in the Ethiopian economy, transporting agricultural inputs and outputs in the dominant subsistence agricultural systems and the critical link for value chains throughout the country. However, these species are often neglected in policies and interventions, which reflects the data and information gaps, particularly the contribution of working equids to Ethiopia. To assess population dynamics, distribution, biomass, and economic value of equids in Ethiopia. Equine population data were obtained from the Ethiopian Central Statistics Agency (CSA) annual national agriculture surveys published yearbooks from 2004 to 2020. Parameters such as the number of effective service days and daily rental value were obtained from interviews and literature to estimate the stock monetary and service value of equids. Descriptive statistics were used to assess population dynamics and the geographical distribution was mapped. The estimated total Ethiopian equid population increased by more than doubled (by 131%) between 2004 and 2020 from 5.7 (4.9-6.6) million to 13.3 (11.6-15) million with 2.1 million horses, 10.7 million donkeys, and 380 thousand mules. Similarly, the number of households owning a working equid has increased. Equine populations are unevenly distributed across Ethiopia, although data were lacking in some districts of the country. The per human-capita equine population ranged from 0-0.52, 0-0.13, and 0-0.02 for donkeys, horses, and mules, respectively. The equid biomass was 7.4 (6.3-8.4) million Tropical livestock unit (TLU) (250 kg liveweight), 10% of total livestock biomass of the country. The stock monetary value of equids was USD 1,229 (651-1,908) million, accounting for 3.1% of total livestock monetary value and the services value of equids was USD 1,198 (825-1,516) million, which is 1.2% of Ethiopian 2021 expected GDP. The Ethiopian equine population has grown steadily over the last two decades. Equids play a central role in transportation and subsistence agriculture in Ethiopia and contribute significantly to the national economy. This pivotal role is insufficiently recognized in national livestock investments.

Rabies is a deadly neglected tropical disease caused by a Lyssavirus that affects all warm-blooded animals, including humans. While canine rabies is prevalent in Ethiopia, its public health and economic burden is not well understood due to a lack of reliable surveillance data. This study aimed to estimate the economic and public health burden of canine rabies in Chilga district, Northwest Ethiopia. The study was conducted retrospectively over two years, from September 2017 to September 2019. A multistage cluster sampling approach was used to select representative households for data collection. A total of 768 households’ heads were interviewed to collect data about rabies in their family members, dogs and livestock. The public health burden of the disease was estimated in disability adjusted life years (DALYs), while the economic burden was estimated by aggregating the costs of rabies in humans and livestock using cost estimation equations. The annual human rabies death in the district was estimated at 37deaths/100,000 populations (95%CI:10–95). The overall public health burden of canine rabies in the district was 1576.5 DALYs/100,000 population (95% CI: 424 – 4025) per year. The economic burden of rabies in the district was estimated at 887.3 ETB/household (95%CI: 688.0-1109.2)/two year. The major portion (76.7%) of the economic burden was contributed by livestock losses. Generally, the study revealed a significant public health and economic burden estimates of canine rabies in the district that needs a control intervention focus on dog vaccination, which could have significant impact in reducing both public health and economic burden.

Rabies is a zoonotic disease that has been prevalent in humans and animals for centuries in Ethiopia and it is often dealt with using traditional practices. There is lack of accurate quantitative information on rabies both in humans and animals in Ethiopia and little is known about the awareness of the people about the disease. In this study, we estimated the incidence of rabies in humans and domestic animals, and assessed the people's awareness about the disease in North Gondar zone, Ethiopia. The incidence of rabies in humans and domestic animals was prospectively followed up for one year period based on clinical observation. A questionnaire was also administered to 120 randomly selected dog owners and 5 traditional healers to assess the knowledge and practices about the disease. We found an annual estimated rabies incidence of 2.33 cases per 100,000 in humans, 412.83 cases per 100,000 in dogs, 19.89 cases per 100,000 in cattle, 67.68 cases per 100,000 in equines, and 14.45 cases per 100,000 in goats. Dog bite was the source of infection for all fatal rabies cases. Ninety eight percent of the questionnaire respondents were familiar with rabies and mentioned dog bite as a means of transmission. But discordant with current scientific knowledge, 84% and 32% of the respondents respectively mentioned any type of contact (irrespective of skin condition) with saliva, and inhalation as a means of transmission of rabies. Eighty four percent of the respondents relied on traditional healers for management of rabies. The study shows high canine rabies burden, and lack of sufficient awareness about the disease and high reliance on traditional treatment that interfere with timely post exposure management. Vaccination of dogs, proper post exposure management, and increasing the awareness of the community are suggested to reduce the disease burden.

Diseases from food of animal origin are common health problems in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate health and economic burden, and to identify demographic factors associated with community awareness of foodborne zoonotic diseases in Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data was collected from 435 households in three towns: Gondar, Lalibela and Debark. A retrospective data was also collected from health records in each town. The health burden due to zoonotic diseases was estimated at 0.2, 0.1 and 1.3 DALYs per household per year and at 73.2, 146.6 and 1,689.5 DALYs out of 100,000 populations per year in Gondar, Lalibela and Debark, respectively. The overall health burden due to foodborne zoonotic diseases (aggregated over the 435 households in the three towns) was estimated to be 89.9 DALYs per 100,000 populations per year. The economic impact of foodborne zoonotic diseases in the three towns of Amhara regional state was 278.98 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) (1ETB = 0.025 US Dollar) per household per year and 121,355.68 ETB per year. Costs of preventive measures followed by costs of patients’ time made the highest contribution while costs of diagnosis made the lowest contribution to the total economic burden of foodborne zoonotic diseases. From a total of 435 respondents, 305 (70.1%) had known the presence of zoonotic diseases. Level of education, number of families in the house and income were highly associated with awareness of zoonosis. Although majority of respondents had known zoonotic diseases exists (70.1%) and disease can be acquired from animal source food (63.2%), the health and economic burden associated to foodborne zoonotic diseases are still high. Therefore, changing mindset and practical training aiming in controlling foodborne zoonotic diseases may be suggested to the community in the health improvement extension service.

The objective of this systematic review was to estimate the overall pooled prevalence of Newcastle disease in chickens in Ethiopia and identify the sources of heterogeneity among and within studies. The seroprevalence of Newcastle disease was estimated using a single-group meta-analysis. Attempts were also made to identify study-level variables that could explain the heterogeneity in the apparent seroprevalence of the Newcastle disease. The findings were based on 16 published articles and 33 district-level reports and were limited to studies performed during 2005–2017. Due to the presence of heterogeneity, pooled analysis from different districts was conducted using random-effects meta-analysis. The single-group summary of Newcastle disease seroprevalence in chickens was estimated to be 21.47% (19.54–23.4%) with a 95% confidence interval. Our results indicated high inter-study variability (Cochran’s Q statistic = 196.2, true variance (τ2) = 0.36, inverse variance index (I2) = 90.0%, p < 0.001). Of all variables analysed, diagnostic techniques and regions were the most significant predictors (p ˂ 0.05) of heterogeneity. According to the diagnostic technique-based meta-analysis of random pooled prevalence, the haemagglutination inhibition test had the highest prevalence, followed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In conclusion, the high-pooled prevalence estimates of the disease, combined with the scarcity of published data for the entire country of Ethiopia, indicate a significant data gap on the distribution of Newcastle disease in the country. While the high pooled prevalence tells the need for intervention to control the disease, there is also a need to assess the disease prevalence in all other parts of the country.

Background Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is an economically important trans-boundary viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals. It is caused by FMD virus, which belongs to the genus Aphthovirus and family Picornaviridae . FMD is a well-established endemic disease in Ethiopia since it was first detected in 1957. This retrospective study was carried out to identify the spatial and temporal distribution of FMD outbreaks in Amhara region of Ethiopia using 18 years (January 1999–December 2016) reported outbreak data. Results A total of 636 FMD outbreaks were reported in Amhara region of Ethiopia between 1999 and 2016 with an average and median of 35 and 13 outbreaks per year respectively. In this period, FMD was reported at least once in 58.5% of the districts (n = 79) and in all administrative zones of the region (n = 10). The average district level incidence of FMD outbreaks was 4.68 per 18 years (0.26 per district year). It recurs in a district as epidemic, on average in 5.86 years period. The incidence differed between administrative zones, being the lowest in East Gojjam and highest in North Shewa. The occurrence of FMD outbreaks was found to be seasonal with peak outbreaks in March and a low in August. The long-term trend of FMD outbreaks indicates a slight, but statistically significant ( p  < 0.001) decrease over the study period. Conclusion FMD occurred in all zones of the region and showed statistically significant decrease in the long-term trend. Numbers of outbreaks were relatively higher during dry season. The spatial and temporal distribution identified in this study should be considered in controlling the disease. As unregulated and frequent animal movements are the likely causes of high outbreak occurrence during the dry season, animal movement regulations should be considered for the long-term control of FMD.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common zoonotic bacteria, responsible for a wide range of infections and is well known for developing resistance to multiple antibiotics. In Ethiopia, information on methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), particularly from a One-Health perspective, is limited. This study aimed to detect S. aureus , identify MRSA strains, and assess their antibiogram patterns in swab samples collected from two municipal abattoirs in Northwest Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2021 and April 2022. A total of 150 swab samples were collected from beef carcasses, abattoir equipment, surfaces, workers’ hands and clothes. Isolation and identification of S. aureus followed ISO 6888−2 standards. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested against ten commonly used antibiotics using the disk diffusion method. Conventional PCR was used for detection of the mecA gene and Sanger method was used for sequencing. Overall, S. aureus was isolated from 25.3% (38/150) of the samples. The prevalence of S. aureus was 27.1% in beef carcasses, 26.9% in abattoir workers, and 23.1% in the abattoir environment. The prevalence was 22.7% in Bahir Dar and 28.0% in Debre Markos abattoirs. The highest detection rate (35.7%) was from workers’ hands and hooks, while the lowest (11.1%) was from splitting axes. All isolates were susceptible to gentamicin but resistant to penicillin and methicillin. Multidrug resistance was observed in 60.5% of the isolates. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the mecA gene showed that the current isolates were highly similar and clustered closely with mecA from Staphylococcus capitis and Staphylococcus fleurettii , but were distinct from other S. aureus strains. The detection of S. aureus and MRSA in beef carcasses, abattoir environments, and workers highlights potential risks to workers, consumers, and surrounding environments exposed to abattoir waste. Strengthening hygiene and sanitary practices in abattoirs is essential within a One Health framework.

Background Orf virus, the prototype of parapoxvirus, is the main causative agent of contagious ecthyma. Little is known about the status of the disease in Ethiopia and this study was aimed at determining its status using PCR as a confirmatory tool. Methods a total of 400 randomly selected sheep and goat was screened for the identification of the virus using amplification of B2L gene and transfection of mammalian cells (VERO cells). Results Out of 400 animals screened for infection of the virus, 48 animals were found positive to PCR and revealed an overall incidence of 12%. Different epidemiological parameters were considered to look at the association with incidence of the disease and of which, only species of the animal(sheep), non-vaccinated and non-treated animals, nursing animals, poor body condition animals, extensively managed animals, animals having mouth lesion, and study areas having outbreak history showed higher prevalence. A univariate logistic regression analysis showed statistically significant difference in all variables ( P  < 0.05). Whereas, age and sex of animals showed no significant difference ( P  < 0.05). Conclusion The result of the present finding showed high incidence of Orf virus in the region as confirmed through PCR.

A cross-sectional calf mortality study was conducted in urban and periurban dairy farms in Addis Ababa, special zones of Oromia and Amhara regions in July and August 2015. The objectives of the study were to estimate the annual mortality and to assess the major causes of calf mortality in the dairy farms. One-year retrospective data on calf mortality were collected from 330 farms by face-to-face interview using the pretested and structured questionnaire format and direct observation of farm practices. A logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify the predictor variables associated with early calf mortality. Data were analysed using Statistical Package, Stata SE for Windows, version 12.0. The annual mean calf mortality from birth-to-weaning was reported as 18.5% (95% CI: 12.6, 24.3%). The prenatal loss due to fetal death and stillbirth was 10.1% (95% CI: 6.7, 13.6%). The overall annual loss due to fetal death and calf preweaning mortality was 26.7% (95% CI: 21.2, 32.2%). Age-specific mortality declined with increased age, and the highest mortality was recorded during the first month of life extending up to the third month of age. Disease was the most important causes of calf mortality (73.2%). Among the diseases, diarrhea (63%) and respiratory disorders (17%) were the important causes of calf mortality. Malpractices in calf management were identified, including restricted colostrum and milk feeding, poor care and supplemental feeding, and poor health management. Interventions in dairy cattle health and farm husbandry are recommended to control calf mortality.

Hypocalcemia is a metabolic disorder that occurs when calcium leaves the blood to support milk production or for the growth of the fetus faster than calcium can be put back into the blood. Subclinical hypocalcemia (SCH) refers to clinically normal cows but with concentrations of calcium lower than measured in normal cows. A study was conducted to estimate economic losses and to identify risk factors associated with SCH in Holstein Friesian × Zebu crossbreed Cows in North-West Ethiopia. A total of 221 lactating dairy cows obtained from 81 dairy farms were selected and serum samples were collected and analyzed to estimate the level of calcium in the serum using an automated electrolyte analyzer (Roch, UVL Japan, 2014). Forty-seven cows obtained from 12 farms were grouped into two: cows with SCH and cows without SCH and milk yield was measured for eight consecutive days to estimate milk production loss associated with SCH. Prevalence was estimated and univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify determinants of SCH. The prevalence of SCH was 20.3% (51/221, 90% CI = 18.6%−28.1%). Grazing on pasture, membership to dairy cooperative, feeding above the cows' requirement (based on farmers' opinion), and previous experience of metritis reduced the odds of SCH ( P < 0.05). The average economic losses associated with reduced milk production due to SCH were 11.25 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) (1 ETB = 0.023 US Dollar) and 3,026.25 ETB (69.6 US Dollar) per cow per lactation, respectively. The main findings of the study have shown that SCH was a problem in crossbreed dairy cows in Northwestern Ethiopia and identified few risk factors that could be targeted to mitigate the problem. Actually, in this study, the economic cost of SCH was significant and needs attention in the dairy extension and dairy health training programs.