Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Comparative ethnoveterinary and serological evaluation of the Karimojong Community Animal Health Worker Program in Uganda.
- Journal:
- Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
- Year:
- 1998
- Authors:
- Jost, C et al.
- Affiliation:
- Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine · United States
Plain-English summary
In Uganda, a program trained members of the Karimojong community to provide basic veterinary care for their animals. Researchers looked at the effectiveness of this program by comparing traditional knowledge about animal health with scientific blood tests for a disease called rinderpest, which affects cattle. During the study, they found that rinderpest was present in the area, and local herders valued vaccinated animals highly. While the traditional methods didn't give precise numbers about disease protection, they still offered useful insights into health trends among the animals. Overall, the study suggests that if the herders could trust the vaccines and those giving them, they would likely vaccinate their herds effectively.
Abstract
The Karimojong CAHW program, in which members of the pastoral Karimojong community were trained as basic veterinary care providers, was evaluated using ethnoveterinary techniques. A serological study of rinderpest antibody titers was also completed to compare serological results with ethnoveterinary results in the case of one disease, rinderpest. An outbreak of rinderpest-like disease that occurred during the field phase of the study was also investigated. The results show that rinderpest does exist in Karamoja in an apparently endemic form. Given the significant value placed by Karimojong herders on vaccinated animals, it can be concluded that they would adequately vaccinate their herds if they could trust the vaccine and the vaccinator. Discrepancies between ethnoveterinary and serological results show that ethnoveterinary techniques do not provide numerically accurate data concerning protection from disease, but that they can, nonetheless, provide basic, cost effective indications of disease patterns.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9668482/