Epidemological investigations of rift valley fever in livestock in three ecological zones of Malawi.
type: CreativeWork
description: Due to uncertainty on the status of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Malawi, limited knowledge about its epidemiology, and debates on whether it is a real or perceived threat for the livestock and human population in the country, a study was formulated to investigate the epidemiology of RVF. The study was carried out between January, 2020 and July, 2020 in 8 districts of Malawi, namely Chitipa (CP), Karonga (KA), Salima (SA), Mangochi (MH), Chiradzulu (CZ), Thyolo (TO), Chikwawa (CK) and Nsanje (NE). These districts were purposively selected from three ecological zones (EZ). Across-section survey using semi-structured questionnaire (n=400), was conducted to capture knowledge, attitude and management practices (KAP) information towards RVF. Average KAP score was calculated from total scores for knowledge, attitude and practices and assessed. In addition, 1,523 whole blood samples of cattle, goat and sheep were collected and 361 livestock farmers participated in questionnaire administration to capture information on potential risk factors. Indirect competition ELISA (cELISA) and IgM Antibody Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (MAC-ELISA) were used to detect presence of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) antibodies in serum. Questionnaire survey and the sero-positivity data, were analyzed for quantitative results using descriptive statistics. Bivariate analysis for association was conducted using Pearson chi-square and univariate linear regression, followed by multivariate analysis using stepwise binary logistic regression to determine the predictors of knowledge and risk factors for RVFV sero-positivity. Further, molecular techniques were used to isolate and identify RVFV genome from serum that tested positive to IgM ELISA test. Participants had overall poor knowledge (score= 17.94%), negative attitude (score= 9.40%), and poor management practices (score= 41.23%) towards RVF. Only 8.25% participants had sufficient knowledge on RVF. The crude seroprevalence was 17.14%, (95% CI= 1…
abstract: Due to uncertainty on the status of Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Malawi, limited knowledge about its epidemiology, and debates on whether it is a real or perceived threat for the livestock and human population in the country, a study was formulated to investigate the epidemiology of RVF. The study was carried out between January, 2020 and July, 2020 in 8 districts of Malawi, namely Chitipa (CP), Karonga (KA), Salima (SA), Mangochi (MH), Chiradzulu (CZ), Thyolo (TO), Chikwawa (CK) and Nsanje (NE). These districts were purposively selected from three ecological zones (EZ). Across-section survey using semi-structured questionnaire (n=400), was conducted to capture knowledge, attitude and management practices (KAP) information towards RVF. Average KAP score was calculated from total scores for knowledge, attitude and practices and assessed. In addition, 1,523 whole blood samples of cattle, goat and sheep were collected and 361 livestock farmers participated in questionnaire administration to capture information on potential risk factors. Indirect competition ELISA (cELISA) and IgM Antibody Capture Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (MAC-ELISA) were used to detect presence of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) antibodies in serum. Questionnaire survey and the sero-positivity data, were analyzed for quantitative results using descriptive statistics. Bivariate analysis for association was conducted using Pearson chi-square and univariate linear regression, followed by multivariate analysis using stepwise binary logistic regression to determine the predictors of knowledge and risk factors for RVFV sero-positivity. Further, molecular techniques were used to isolate and identify RVFV genome from serum that tested positive to IgM ELISA test. Participants had overall poor knowledge (score= 17.94%), negative attitude (score= 9.40%), and poor management practices (score= 41.23%) towards RVF. Only 8.25% participants had sufficient knowledge on RVF. The crude seroprevalence was 17.14%, (95% CI= 1…
author: Kainga, Henson
language: en
date published: 2023
date modified: 2026-07-27T22:06:47Z
provider: University of Zimbabwe
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Zimbabwe