Pastoralists’ Perceptions and Socio-economic Impact of Abortions in Flocks of Goats and Sheep in Isiolo, Kenya.

Abstract

Abortions in ruminants have far-reaching impacts globally. They do not only affect the level of productivity in livestock but also create impacts associated with challenges in animal welfare and public health. Livestock keepers who depend on animals as their main source of livelihood are often affected when abortions occur in their herd of livestock. The aim of this study was to investigate perceptions of pastoralists on abortions in flocks of goats and sheep and their associated socio-economic impacts in Kinna, Isiolo County. The study utilized participatory epidemiology approaches for data collection including semi-structured interviews; proportional piling; pairwise ranking, and impact matrix scoring. Data were collected from eight groups of pastoralist from Kinna, in Isiolo County through focus group discussions. Both qualitative and quantitative data which were collected were summarised using thematic analysis and descriptive measures. The pastoralists reported experiencing abortions/stillbirths events in their flocks of sheep and goats. Tick-borne diseases were ranked as the most common diseases perceived to cause abortion events in flock of sheep and goats. The participants emphasised that abortions were not just isolated animal health problems, but were considered as critical issues that directly affected their economic stability and emotional well-being. The direct costs which were incurred due to measures taken to prevent or control infection and disease outbreaks were estimated to cost 4,000 KSH per flock per month. Besides the direct financial outlay, participants also reported that occurrence of abortion in flocks of sheep and goats resulted in significant losses in productivity and sources of livelihood including additional cost of treatment, decreased milk production, higher mortality and decreased fertility in flocks. Pastoralists reported that they often handled aborted foetus/contents and retained placentas with their bare hands as well as feeding aborted materials to dogs or they would throw

them away in nearby bushes. These farm-level practices do not only pose health risks to people who are in contact with the infected flocks of sheep and goats but they also increase the risk of exposure to infection for the other animals that are grazed on pastures or farms that are connected to these systems. The results also showed a lack of awareness by pastoralists regarding potential health risks associated with poor sanitary practices. These findings provide evidence and support the need for continuous disease surveillance and help to inform policies on resource allocation for the implementation of disease control strategies to mitigate the impact of diseases and reproductive problems on livestock.