Spatio-temporal epidemiology of livestock diseases in the variable semi-arid rangelands of northern Kenya

Abstract

Diseases affecting livestock can have significant impacts on the animal, humans and the economy. Participatory epidemiology and spatial analysis were conducted to assess livestock disease problems in Samburu County, northern Kenya. Key informants were selected purposively with the help of local leaders. Among the livestock, goats were identified to have the most economic importance. On the other hand Pestes des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Camel Trypanosomiasis diseases were identified to have the highest impact on pastoral livelihood. Spatial analysis indicated that all the disease hotspots were closely related to the distribution of herds during different seasons of the year. Correlations between the mean annual rainfall and selected livestock diseases were significant for East Coast Fever (ECF) (r = - 0.767, p = 0.001, N = 15), Cattle Helminthiasis (r = 0.639, p = 0.010, N = 15), Cattle Anaplasmosis (r = 0.631, p = 0.012, N = 15) and Camel Pox (r = - 0.646, p = 0.044, N = 10). There was a strong relationship between seasonality and livestock disease epidemiology. Disease control efforts should be focused towards the hotspots in the wet season and dry season grazing areas.