Dairy Farmers’ Awareness of Vector-Borne Zoonotic Diseases: A Pilot Study

Diseases spread by vectors, which are organisms that can move infectious pathogens from one host to another, are known as vector-borne diseases (VBD). More than seven lakh deaths annually due to these diseases account for approximately 17 per cent of the estimated global burden of all infectious diseases (World Health Organization, 2020). As these diseases are capable of human–animal transfer or vice versa, these VBDs are classified as vector-borne zoonotic diseases. Dengue fever and chikungunya fever are two of the most widespread VBDs that spread through the vector Aedes mosquitoes. In India, dengue and chikungunya pose serious public health risks, and these diseases are often considered serious public health concerns (Paulson et al., 2022). Dairy farming activity takes place in proximity to cattle, which increases exposure to vectors and hence increases the risk to the health of dairy farmers (Chakraborty et al., 2023). Considering the zoonotic nature of diseases in livestock farmers, many studies have identified the need to increase farmers’ awareness of these diseases (Hundal et al., 2020; Khadayata and Aggarwal, 2020; Tebug et al., 2015). Likewise, when concentrating on the studies in the study area, which is Wayanad District, Kerala, one can see that the number of studies conducted to understand livestock farmers’ awareness is very limited. Since farmers and farm workers are at a high-risk of contracting these diseases (Bartlett et al., 2022), the question arises as to how well farmers know about these diseases. Farmers’ perspectives regarding commonly caused mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and chikungunya fever, which are classified as zoonotic, are unknown in the study area. Over the past decade, there have been 1305 cases of both dengue fever and chikungunya fever in the area, as per the Government of Kerala. The chance of recurrence of these diseases is high. Hence, in this study, we attempted to estimate farmers’ awareness of dengue and chikungunya fever and to estimate the association of awareness with socio-demographic variables like education and gender in the study area. Therefore, a cross-sectional pilot study was conducted among dairy farmers using a questionnaire to assess their understanding, and check whether awareness is associated with socio-demographic characteristics, such as education and gender. The questionnaire contained five open-ended questions relating to general information, 12 questions relating to knowledge such as the vector that causes the disease, mode of transmission, symptoms, etc., and eight questions relating to attitude, such as whether there is a cure for the disease. Is it preventable, does it transfer between humans, and does it pose four questions relating to practice, such as the preventive measures taken for both diseases? A Cluster sampling was used to get the required sample for the study area, which was divided into three clusters based on geographical area; Sulthan Bathery (n = 17), Kalpetta (n = 15), and Mananthavady (n = 10). There are many ways to evaluate health literacy (Lopes Marques and Lemos Aguiar, 2017), but there is no exact way to assess disease awareness. Therefore, the primary survey data were evaluated as a percentage, and each question was scored to assess disease awareness, knowledge scores ranging from 9 to 14, attitude scores from 15 to 25, and practice scores of 6 for both illnesses. The percentages were divided into very low (0–39.9%), low (40–59.9%), moderate (60–79.9%), and high (80% and higher) awareness and to understand the association chi-square test was carried out using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26).

The study revealed that 71.43% of the sample population consisted of males, whereas 28.57% were female. Considering the education level of dairy farmers, 35.71% had primary education, 33.33% had secondary education, and 30.95% had a higher secondary level of education. Likewise, looking into the socio-economic status of the dairy farmers, according to B. G. Prasad’s classification, all the farmers fall into socio-economic class V.

A total of approximately 50% of dairy farmers were moderately aware of chikungunya fever, while the other half were poorly aware. 54.76 per cent of the dairy farmers had intermediate dengue fever awareness, whereas 35.71%t had low knowledge. Additionally, 7.14% had strong disease awareness, whereas 2.38% had extremely poor knowledge. The data indicate that dairy farmers are simultaneously knowledgeable and unaware of chikungunya fever. Regarding dengue fever, 61.90% of dairy farmers were aware of it, whereas 38.10% were not. The KAPs of dairy farmers were studied and 69.05% had sufficient comprehension of dengue fever, whereas 30.95% did not. 52.38 per cent of farmers saw dengue disease positively, while 47.62% did not. The data show that 57.14% of farmers practice insufficient disease-related practices, whereas 42.86% practice well by using mosquito nets, and repellents, wearing full-sleeve cloths, cleaning stagnant water, and fuming the surroundings. Regarding chikungunya fever, 52.38% of the farmers had poor knowledge and negative attitudes, whereas 47.62% had favorable knowledge and attitudes. The observed trends show that 57.14% of farmers had chikungunya-friendly practices, such as using mosquito nets and repellents, wearing full-sleeve cloths, cleaning stagnant water, and fuming the surroundings, whereas 42.86% did not. Out of all men and females, the survey found that 56.67% of men and 50% of females had moderate dengue fever awareness, whereas 36.67% and 33.33% had poor awareness whereas 83.33% of females and 36.67% of males had poor awareness of chikungunya fever, whereas 63.33% and 16.67% had intermediate knowledge. This research examined dairy farmers’ KAPs regarding two major vector-borne illnesses and estimated their health awareness. According to research, most dairy farmers have only excellent dengue fever knowledge, whereas they have mixed chikungunya awareness. Most farmers had poor dengue practices and chikungunya knowledge and attitudes. This suggests the need for further action to educate farmers about Ades mosquito-borne illnesses. This can be related to another study conducted in western Jamaica, where individuals had low scores on knowledge and practice of vector-borne diseases (Alobuia et al., 2015), which is like the current study.

According to the hypothesis testing (Table 1), gender was significantly associated with chikungunya awareness (p = 0.006, α = 0.05, φ = 0.422), whereas education level was not (p = 0.593, α = 0.05). No significant correlation was found between sex (p = 0.764, α = 0.05), education level (p = 0.797, α = 0.05), and dengue fever awareness among dairy farmers. This contradicts research in the Caribbean area of Colombia, which revealed that education levels affect dengue fever KAP (Diaz-Quijano et al., 2018).

The lack of a pandemic during this study may explain the farmers’ low to moderate knowledge of dengue and chikungunya. In Wayanad, Kerala, where Aedes mosquito-borne zoonotic illnesses are understudied, this study provides insight into the present situation of dairy farmers regarding diseases declared to be among public health concerns. This study contributed to the fact that dairy producers’ knowledge of vector-borne illnesses was found to be weak. Legislation and campaigns are essential to educate dairy farmers about vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, and their transmission and treatment. KAP indicates dairy farmers’ poor hold of dengue and chikungunya transmission, nature, and attitude, despite the pilot study’s limitations. This research suggests enhancing farmers’ awareness of these diseases of public health concerns in the study area, as dairy farmers are in close contact with different vectors during their daily activities.