Informing influenza pandemic preparedness using commercial poultry farmer knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surrounding biosecurity and self-reported avian influenza outbreaks in Nepal

Preventive, safety and control measures against Avian Influenza A(H5N1) in occupationally exposed groups: A scoping review

Introduction

During the outbreak of avian influenza, A (H5N1) (IA) in wild and domestic birds recorded in January 2023, the epidemiological alert has been extended due to its potential contagion to humans, particularly in those exposed occupational groups.

Objective

to identify the primary occupational risk groups, as well as the preventive, safety, and control measures against IA intended or implemented in these positions.

Material and methods

A systematic search was conducted in Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science, Scielo and literature databases. Scientific articles, normative documents, and technical reports identifying vulnerable occupational groups and preventive measures against IA were included. Two authors conducted a full-text review, extracting information independently, and findings were summarized narratively.

Results

A total of 5518 documents were identified, and 30 reports were included. 20% of the reports were published in 2023, 13/30 were affiliated to a university institution. Occupationally exposed groups were identified both directly and indirectly. 63.3% of reports identified breeders, poultry farmers and sellers as the most concerning occupational group, while 60% identified biosecurity practices (use of PPE, handwashing) as the primary measure against IA, followed by strategies such as education (training and capacity-building).

Conclusion

Occupational groups of interest were identified, primarily those involved in sales, commerce, and the handling of bird waste with potential exposure to IA. Furthermore, the maintenance of biosecurity measures, cleaning-disinfection practices, and educational strategies in workplace settings are recommended.

Clustering broiler farmers based on their behavioural differences towards biosecurity to prevent highly pathogenic avian influenza

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is an important zoonotic disease. The study aims to identify farmer behaviour types to inform the design of behaviour change programmes for mitigating the transmission of HPAI. Therefore, the study utilised multivariate statistical analysis for gaining a better understanding of the relationships among farmers' 30 biosecurity behaviours, the risk of HPAI infection, and distinct features of commercial broiler farmers, which is different from using simple and few binary biosecurity measures. Convenience sampling was used to collect data from 303 Taiwan's farmers among which 40 farmers (13.2%) self-reported having had a HPAI outbreak in the study year while 16 farmers (5.3%) self-reported having had a HPAI outbreak in the past two years. Using categorical principal components analysis and a two-stage cluster analysis, four farmer clusters were identified with distinct features: 1)'Reserved' (4.6%) tended to choose 'No idea' for answering specific questions about HPAI; 2)'Secure' (76.3%) had a higher biosecurity status than the other farms; 3) 'Jeopardised' (16.8%) had a lower biosecurity status than the other farms; 4) 'No-response' (2.3%) tended to skip specific questions about HPAI. The biosecurity status of the 'Reserved' and 'No-response' clusters was undetermined, placing these farms at risk of HPAI infection. Compared to the 'Secure' cluster, the 'Jeopardised' cluster exhibited higher odds of self-reported HPAI in the study year (OR: 2.61, 95% CI: 1.22-5.58) and in the past two years (OR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.39-13.19). Additionally, the 'Jeopardised' cluster showed increased odds of HPAI recurrence (OR: 4.01, 95% CI: 1.41-11.43). Our study demonstrates that inadequate biosecurity practices can elevate the occurrence or recurrence of HPAI outbreaks. The findings underscore the importance of distinguishing between these clusters to accurately assess the risk of HPAI infection across farms. Furthermore, understanding farmers' behaviours can inform the development of strategies aimed at behaviour change among farmers.

Assessment of Knowledge and Biosecurity Practices Related to Avian Influenza Among Poultry Workers in a District of South India

CONTEXT

Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, is a contagious disease that affects both animals and humans, posing a significant threat to public health, animal welfare, and the economy. This study aims to evaluate the knowledge of avian influenza among poultry farmworkers and evaluate the biosecurity practices implemented on their farms.

OBJECTIVE

The study's primary objective was to assess the knowledge regarding avian influenza among poultry farmworkers and the biosecurity practices they follow at the farm.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The study was conducted in a district of South India.

PARTICIPANTS

This study included 105 poultry farmworkers across 70 poultry farms in the district.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Assessment of the participants' knowledge related to avian influenza, and the association between knowledge levels, demographic, and farm-related factors such as working experience in the poultry farm, type of poultry farm, type of poultry reared, and biosecurity practices.

RESULTS

In the study, 90% of participants were aware of avian influenza, with 36% correctly identifying the virus as its cause, whereas 5% wrongly cited it to be a bacteria. Although 90% knew avian influenza was infectious, only 18% recognized its potential transmission to humans; however, 82% understood prevention methods. Participants with an education level beyond high school displayed significantly higher awareness ( P < .05), emphasizing importance of the education.

CONCLUSIONS

The study showed diverse awareness levels among poultry farmworkers regarding avian influenza, emphasizing gaps in the knowledge, particularly about its transmission to humans. This underscores the need for targeted awareness campaigns focusing on zoonotic risks to improve the level of understanding and implement effective preventive measures against avian influenza.

Antimicrobial stewardship hindered by inadequate biosecurity and biosafety practices, and inappropriate antibiotics usage in poultry farms of Nepal-A pilot study

Nepal's poultry industry has experienced remarkable growth in the last decade, but farm biosafety and biosecurity measures are often overlooked by farmers. As a result, farms often suffer from sporadic and regular outbreaks of many diseases, impacting production and creating public health challenges. Poor management practices, including overuse of antibiotics for prophylaxis and therapeutics, can enhance the spread of poultry diseases by propagating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that is threatening poultry and human health. We assessed biosafety, biosecurity risks and AMR stewardship in sixteen poultry farms located in four districts: Ramechhap, Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, and Kavre. Risk assessment and AMR stewardship evaluation questionnaires were administered to formulate biosafety and biosecurity compliance matrix (BBCM). Risk assessment checklist assessed facility operations, personnel and standard operating procedures, water supply, cleaning and maintenance, rodent/pest control and record keeping. Oral and cloacal samples from the poultry were collected, pooled, and screened for eight poultry pathogens using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests. Based on BBCM, we identified the highest BBCM score of 67% obtained by Sindhupalchowk farm 4 and the lowest of 12% by Kavre farm 3. Most of the farms (61.6%) followed general poultry farming practices, only half had clean and well-maintained farms. Lowest scores were obtained for personnel safety standard (42.4%) and rodent control (3.1%). At least one of the screened pathogens were detected in all farms. Mycoplasma gallisepticum was the most common pathogen detected in all but three farms, followed by Mycoplasma synoviae. More than half of the farmers considered AMR a threat, over 26% of them used antibiotics as a preventive measure and 81% did not consider withdrawal period for antibiotics prior to processing of their meat products. Additionally, antibiotics classified as "Watch" and "Restrict" by the WHO were frequently used by the farmers to treat bacterial infections in their farms.

A cross-sectional survey of avian influenza knowledge among poultry farmworkers in Indonesia

Background

Avian influenza (AI) poses a serious threat to global public health, especially the highly pathogenic form. Awareness and protective behavior among the public, particularly the high-risk populations, are essential for prevention and control. This study aimed to ascertain the level of AI knowledge among Indonesia's poultry farmworkers.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study conducted online. A predesigned standardized questionnaire, containing six demographic questions and 14 questions on AI knowledge, was used. The questionnaire was distributed via WhatsApp and email platforms. Volunteers (respondents) included 119 men and 81 women, aged 18-50 years, who work on poultry farms in Indonesia. Data were analyzed using the chi-squared and Fisher exact tests.

Results

The study's findings revealed that more than two-thirds (67.0%) of the respondents had heard about AI. Their primary sources of information were health workers (36.0%) and media, especially television (34.0%). The majority of the participants (91.3%) had good knowledge about AI as a contagious infection, transmissible from birds to other birds, animals, or humans. A total of 76.8% of the respondents believed that poultry workers and veterinarians were at high risk of contracting AI infection.

Conclusions

The study concluded that poultry workers had good knowledge about AI infection, transmission, and risk variables. Health workers and television were the main sources of information on AI. The level of AI knowledge was high among the respondents.

Knowledge and perception of veterinary students on One Health: A first nationwide multi-institutional survey in Nepal

Background and Aim: One Health (OH) is a collaborative, multisectoral, and holistic approach for the prevention and control of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases affecting animals and humans. In Nepal, the OH concept remains rudimentary. However, the recently formed "One Health Strategy" is a ray of hope. Veterinary students are the future of animal health, a major component of OH. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and perception of Nepalese veterinary students toward OH. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among veterinary students in all four veterinary colleges in Nepal to obtain knowledge on OH and zoonotic disease and understand the perception of the benefits of OH obtained using an online survey tool through a convenience sampling technique. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics, Chi-Square test, and logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 333 participants, including recent graduates (mean age: 22.3±2.2 years) participated in this study. The mean knowledge score was 19.8±3.8 and about half of the respondents, 185 (55.6%) demonstrated satisfactory scores on OH. Most of the respondents have a positive perception of the benefits of OH as participants largely agreed that the OH approach needs to become a regular, routine, and institutionalized process at the project, program, and policy levels; is useful in addressing complex challenges that threaten human and animal health, food security, poverty, and the environments where diseases flourish; and it creates added value in terms of human and animal health, financial savings or social and environmental benefits from closer professional cooperation. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that age, educational, and academic levels were significant factors influencing satisfactory knowledge on OH among respondents. Conclusion: Nepalese veterinary students demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of OH and a good level of perception of the benefits of OH. An apprehensive understanding of the current status of the OH approach in Nepal through studies like this is crucial for the future improvement of public and animal health.

Frequency and patterns of exposure to live poultry and the potential risk of avian influenza transmission to humans in urban Bangladesh

Avian influenza is endemic in Bangladesh, where greater than 90% of poultry are marketed through live poultry markets (LPMs). We conducted a population-based cross-sectional mobile telephone survey in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh to investigate the frequency and patterns of human exposure to live poultry in LPMs and at home. Among 1047 urban residents surveyed, 74.2% (95% CI 70.9-77.2) reported exposure to live poultry in the past year, with the majority of exposure occurring on a weekly basis. While visiting LPMs was less common amongst females (40.3%, 95% CI 35.0-45.8) than males (58.9%, 95% CI 54.0-63.5), females reported greater poultry exposure through food preparation, including defeathering (13.2%, 95% CI 9.5-17.9) and eviscerating (14.8%, 95% CI 11.2-19.4) (p < 0.001). A large proportion of the urban population is frequently exposed to live poultry in a setting where avian influenza viruses are endemic in LPMs. There is thus not only ample opportunity for spillover of avian influenza infections into humans in Dhaka, Bangladesh, but also greater potential for viral reassortment which could generate novel strains with pandemic potential.

Influence of contract commitment system in reducing information asymmetry, and prevention and control of livestock epidemics: Evidence from pig farmers in China

The prevention and control of infectious diseases in livestock is of great significance for maintaining the food and health of people. The main bottleneck in preventing and controlling the epidemic is asymmetrical information between farmers and the livestock department regarding dead livestock. In this pursuit, China has levied the contract commitment system to ensure farmers to cooperate with livestock departments, cooperative organizations, and other farmers by proper contract in order to combat the livestock epidemic by reporting the status of dead livestock on time. Based on the data of 514 pig farmers in Hebei, Henan, and Hubei, this research employed the Heckprobit model to explore the contract commitment system's effect on pig farmers' behavior in reporting the status of dead livestock. The outcome showed that the contract commitment system encouraged the farmers to report dead pig information promptly. Moreover, modern information channels such as mobile phones or the Internet further enhanced the contract commitment system's effectiveness. Besides, the impacts of the contract commitment system on different scale farmers are found substantially heterogeneous. Based on the empirical findings, it is confirmed that the contract commitment system should not exclude government regulatory measures and economic incentive policies. It is a useful remedy to encourage farmers to report dead livestock information on time and supports in preventing and controlling livestock epidemics. Additionally, the government should enhance and strengthen the contract commitment system, establish the channels and platforms required to deliver necessary information about epidemics, and implement differentiated policy programs for different scale farmers. More importantly, these countermeasures can also provide important guidelines for other developing countries, facing livestock epidemics.