Abstract:
Women’s major responsibilities in agricultural and family welfare increase their roles in transmission of diseases hence making them vulnerable to many diseases including zoonoses. Knowing appropriate local control measures to control brucellosis would help improve disease situation at family level and communities in general. This cross sectional study, conducted from November 2013 to September 2014 at Kilosa District, aimed at assessing women’s knowledge, attitudes and practices towards control of brucellosis. A total of 260 respondents were interviewed and five focus group discussions were conducted. In women’s perspective, zoonotic diseases identified were bovine tuberculosis, Foot and Mouth disease, brucellosis and Anthrax. Majority of women had poor knowledge on the identified zoonoses and very few 37% and 1% had fair knowledge of bovine tuberculosis and Foot and Mouth Disease respectively. Risk behaviors that were known to drive brucellosis transmission are consumption of raw animal products, direct contact with animals and animal products especially blood, aborted fetuses and after birth materials, and movement of animals in large groups. The local measure for controlling brucellosis was boiling of milk (though its effectiveness was below 50%). To control other diseases, they lower the temperature of milk by keeping it in gourds with a smoke of Msisiri tree; lower the pH by fermenting milk; treat infected animals with several antibiotics and practicing personal hygiene by washing hands with water and soap immediately after touching animals and animal secretions. For repeated fever (Undulant fever) they drink animal fats made from milk or meat. Local control measures such as proper boiling of milk, thorough cooking of meat and proper handling of animals, their products and by-products should be adopted to reduce transmission of brucellosis from animals to humans. The community should be educated on brucellosis to enhance control of the disease.
