Socio-economic factors influencing control of vector-borne diseases in the pastoralist system of south western Uganda

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production Vol. 40; no. 4; pp. 287 - 297
• Main Authors: Mugisha, Anthony, McLeod, Anni, Percy, Rachel, Kyewalabye, Elizabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01.05.2008; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - prevention & control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Data collection; Decision making; Disease control; Economic factors; Economics; Family Characteristics; Female; gender; Glossina; Households; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Intra-household factors; Ixodidae; Life Sciences; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Original Paper; Rural Population; Sex Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomics; tick-borne diseases; Tick-Borne Diseases - prevention & control; Ticks - growth & development; trypanosomiasis; Trypanosomiasis, Bovine - prevention & control; Tsetse Flies - growth & development; Uganda; Vector-borne diseases; Veterinary medicine; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology; Uganda; Decision-making; Socio-economics; Gender; Intra-household factors; Tick-borne diseases; Trypanosomosis
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-007-9093-2

Research in control of tick-borne diseases and trypanosomosis, and their vectors, namely, ticks and tsetse flies respectively, has been on going for decades. However, very little attention has been paid to the socio-economic factors that are likely to influence the outcome of the interventions in the control of these diseases. Thus, this study was designed to investigate these factors, mainly the intra-household factors influencing decision-making in the control of Vector-borne diseases in the pastoralist areas of Uganda. These factors included: indigenous technical knowledge, household economic factors, and gender. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the collection and analysis of data. The tools used for data collection included among others, participatory learning and action (PLA), and Case studies. The findings included the following: In pastoralist households, a big proportion of the household budget was allocated to vector-borne diseases control. In the male-headed households, men dominated decision-making on vector-borne diseases control, although the goals and priorities of men and women in these households were not the same. Also, vector-borne disease control was predominantly by use of modern veterinary drugs, and pastoralists treated sick cattle by themselves even in situations where there were veterinary personnel.