Knowledge and Practices of Pig Farmers Regarding Japanese Encephalitis in Kathmandu, Nepal

• Published in: Zoonoses and public health Vol. 59; no. 8; pp. 568 - 574
• Main Authors: Dhakal, S., Stephen, C., Ale, A., Joshi, D. D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2012
• Subjects: Animal diseases; Animal Husbandry - economics; Animal Husbandry - standards; Animals; Culex - virology; Disease Reservoirs - virology; Encephalitis; Encephalitis Virus, Japanese - pathogenicity; Encephalitis, Japanese - epidemiology; Encephalitis, Japanese - prevention & control; Encephalitis, Japanese - transmission; Environment; farmer; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Literacy; Hogs; Human exposure; Humans; Insect Vectors - virology; Japanese encephalitis; knowledge; Male; Nepal; Nepal - epidemiology; Occupational Exposure; Occupational Health; Oryza sativa; pig; Risk Factors; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Swine; Swine Diseases - epidemiology; Swine Diseases - prevention & control; Swine Diseases - transmission; Viruses; Zoonoses; Nepal; Nepal, Kathmandu Valley
• ISSN: 1863-1959; 1863-2378
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01498.x

Summary Japanese 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.