Perception of cattle owners towards risk of raw milk consumption for bovine tuberculosis transmission in Hosanna, Central Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION

Zoonotic diseases account for more than 61% of human diseases. Raw milk is a major source of bovine tuberculosis (BTB) infection. However, there is a lack of comprehensive information on the community's perception of the risks associated with raw milk consumption for BTB transmission in Ethiopia. This study aimed to investigate the awareness of cattle farmers in Hosanna, southern Ethiopia, regarding the risk of bovine tuberculosis transmission through the consumption of raw milk.

METHODS

We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study among a randomly selected sample of households (n = 462) in Hosanna Town. We used pre-tested and structured questionnaires to collect data. The perception of the risk of bovine tuberculosis transmission due to raw milk consumption was assessed using the mean score of each outcome. Scoring above the mean on the four constructs of the Health Belief Model (HBM) is equivalent to having a high level of awareness of the risk of BTB transmission from raw milk consumption. 95% confidence intervals (CI) of the corresponding estimates were set to indicate significance.

RESULTS

The analysis results showed that 65.0% of the cattle farmers in the study area had a low awareness of the risk of BTB transmission from drinking raw milk. The perception of the risk of BTB transmission due to raw milk consumption was significantly lower in males (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.6 CI 1.51, 4.68) and widowed (AOR: 3.7, CI 1.43, 9.92) participants.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the perception of the risk of raw milk consumption for BTB transmission is low in this study. Thus, it is worthwhile to include measures to enhance the perception of cattle owners toward the risk of raw milk consumption as a fundamental practice to control BTB transmission.