Awareness and Practices Regarding Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever among Animal Handlers in Peri-urban Karachi and Rural Areas of Sindh

Abstract

Objective: To assess  the  awareness  and  practices  among  animal  handlers  regarding  Crimean-  Congo haemorrhagic fever and compare the awareness and practices among different groups of animal handlers in Sindh, Pakistan. Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted among  150  animal  handlers  with  the  response  rate  of  93%, including sellers, butchers, transporters, caretakers and  veterinary  doctors  in  peri-urban  Karachi and rural areas of Sindh. Quota sampling technique was adopted to select the study population. The duration of the study was three months from August 2016 to October 2016; this period includes selling of animals of sacrifice for Eid-ul-Azha in temporary established markets. Data  was  entered  into  Epidata 3.1 and analysed using SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 150 participants enrolled in the study. The mean age of the study participants was 35 ± 7.5 years. Among the subjects, 48% were  uneducated.  Overall,  52%  of  the  participants  were  aware about the Crimean-Congo fever. The hygiene practice among animal handlers was found to be washing; 40.7%, bathing; 27.3% and tick removal; 11.3%. The  awareness  of  Crimean-Congo  fever  among animal caretakers was 50%, animal sellers; 43.3%, transporters; 36.7% and butchers; 30% (p<0.001). Conclusion: The awareness among animal handlers was on the lower side among animal sellers, transporters, butchers and animal care taker and there is  a  need  to  improve  the  awareness  level  among these groups regarding practices, hygiene of the animal as well as handling procedures.