KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES OF BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION IN HUMAN AMONG BUTCHERS IN AKINYELE AND BODIJA MUNICIPAL ABATTOIRS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a chronic, wasting and debilitating disease of man and animals. Measures towards prevention of bovine tuberculosis are key to achieving global tuberculosis eradication. The study is conducted to determine the measures taken by butchers for bovine tuberculosis (BIB) prevention at Akinyele and Bodija Municipal Abattoirs within Ibadan metropolis, with a view to provide vital information for BIB control. Four hundred and fifty (450) butchers from the two abattoirs were randomly selected for this study using simple random sampling technique The data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using SPSS version 12.0. The response rate was 97.1%. The findings reveal that their approach towards preventing bovine TB transmission included practice of good hygiene which is less than 20% (17.6%), hand washing (15.6%) after each day's work, wearing protective materials like gloves and boots (14.4%), use of preventive medicine (14.2%), immunization (12.6%), prayer (10.1%), use of herbs (9.8%) and limited contact with animals or carcasses (5.7%). On limiting cattle to cattle spread of bovine tuberculosis, early isolation of infected animals (29.2%), avoidance of close contact with the infected animals (23.3%), prompt reporting to the veterinarians (22.2%), avoidance of overcrowding of cattle in the kraal (14.9%) and early notification by the cattle handlers (10.3%) were the practices highlighted. Age groups (p= 0.006), sex (p=0.019), level of education (p=0.088) and length of years spent in the livestock work (p=,0.033) were significant factors associated with the butchers' preventive measures against the spread of bovine tuberculosis. The study provides vital information for the stakeholders in the Public Health Sector in their drive ,towards eradication of tuberculosis including BTB. It gives them an opportunity for informed steps to be taken to better position the livestock workers especially butchers foe effective measures required for the prevention of BTB in both animals and humans.