Knowledge and Practices of Pig Farmers Regarding Japanese Encephalitis in Kathmandu, Nepal
Knowledge and Practices of Pig Farmers Regarding Japanese Encephalitis in Kathmandu, Nepal
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1863-2378.2012.01498.x
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发表时间：
2012-12-01
影响因子：
2.4
通讯作者：
Joshi, D. D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Dhakal, S.;Stephen, C.;Joshi, D. D.
日本脑炎（JE）是世界上病毒性脑炎的最大单一病因，自20世纪80年代初以来一直在尼泊尔流行。从那时起，它已经从起源于低地平原蔓延到加德满都山谷以及丘陵和山区。猪是病毒的繁殖宿主。尼泊尔政府一直鼓励发展养猪业，以此作为扶贫手段。虽然其他国家通过疫苗接种计划和改善养猪业减少了乙脑，但这些选择在尼泊尔在经济上是不可能的。本研究的目的是调查尼泊尔养猪户的职业风险，并确定他们的知识水平和乙脑预防技术的实践。我们对加德满都区随机选择的100名养猪户进行了调查，发现养猪户暴露于许多乙脑风险因素，包括贫困和靠近猪、稻田和水鸟，这些都是病毒的最终宿主。42%的农民听说过乙脑，20%的人将其与蚊子叮咬联系在一起，7%的人将猪列为风险因素。几乎没有采取任何保护措施。没有一个农民接种过乙脑疫苗，也没有猪接种过乙脑疫苗，尽管正在进行人类疫苗接种运动。这个农业社区几乎没有土地所有权，教育也很有限。日本教育方案必须考虑在获得公共卫生信息方面的性别差异，因为男性和女性农民的人数相等。我们提供的调查结果，可以告知未来的乙脑教育计划，这一弱势群体。
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the single largest cause of viral encephalitis in the world and has been endemic in Nepal since the early 1980s. Since then, it has spread from its origins in lowland plains to the Kathmandu Valley as well as in hill and mountain districts. Pigs are amplifying hosts for the virus. The Nepal government has been encouraging the development of pig farming as a means of poverty alleviation. Whereas other countries have reduced JE through vaccination programmes and improvements in pig husbandry, these options are not economically possible in Nepal. The objective of this study was to examine the occupational risk of pig farmers in Nepal and to determine their level of knowledge and practice of JE prevention techniques. We surveyed 100 randomly selected pig farmers in the Kathmandu District and found that pig farmers were exposed to many JE risk factors including poverty and close proximity to pigs, rice paddy fields and water birds, which are the definitive hosts for the virus. Forty-two percent of the farmers had heard of JE, 20% associated it with mosquito bites and 7% named pigs as risk factors. Few protective measures were taken. None of the farmers were vaccinated against JE nor were any pigs, despite an ongoing human vaccination campaign. This farming community had little ownership of land and limited education. JE education programmes must consider gender differences in access to public health information as there were an equal number of male and female farmers. We provide findings that can inform future JE education programmes for this vulnerable population.