Application of discrete choice experiment to analyze the demand for village chicken paid vaccination service against Newcastle disease in DR Congo.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect a large number of avian species and cause severe economic loss in many countries. This disease is a major constraint for rural chicken production in most developing countries. In this country, ND is known since the 1940s. It exists in enzootic form in almost all provinces of the country. No systematic long-term control measures have been taken against this devastating disease in village poultry. A discrete choice experiment was carried out to analyze the demand for paid vaccination services, by first identifying the preferences of 320 village chicken keepers from eight sites, four of which had benefitted from such a paid chicken vaccination program against ND and four of which did not. The preference was for a vaccination service carried out following imposed calendar. The public veterinarian was the most preferred professional to ensure the paid vaccination of village chickens. The results led to the design of a profile of paid vaccination service tailored to chicken keepers' expectations. The public veterinarian would supervise vaccination activities, which would be implemented by trained community-based health workers, through collective campaigns at fixed periods in the year. The acceptable price (equivalent to 0.10 US dollar per dose) would allow the service to be set in a sustainable way and might be increased if trust in the delivered service may be built further.