Disease prevalence at household level in smallholder
livestock production system in Botswana
Katjiuongua, H., Mbeha, B., Ntesang, K., Hendrickx, S. & Marobela, C.
Conference on Policies for Competitive Smallholder Livestock Production
Gaborone, Botswana, 4-6 March 2015

Disease prevalence at household level
• Animal disease outbreaks: can be devastating
Direct costs
- Death of animals
- Repercussions throughout the livestock chain
- Human health and deaths
Indirect costs
- Lower productivity – slow growth, reduced efficiency of input use
- Reduced access to markets
Negatively affects competitiveness at household and national
levels
2

Disease prevalence at household level
Objective
– Better understand livestock diseases prevalence at household level
– Gauge: what is going on at household level
Data
– Survey of individual households – randomly selected (N = 596)
– Participatory epidemiology (PE) - Serowe, Mahalapye, Boteti, Kasane
and Selebi Phikwe (N= 699)
Findings
Way forward
3

Disease prevalence at household level
Individual household survey:
4
0
5
10
15
20
25
Most commonly experienced diseases - cattle
(%)
Series1
Other
- Contagious abortion (20%)
- Ticks (16%)
Goats:
- Abortion
- Diarrhea
- Foot rot

Disease prevalence at household level
Participatory epidemiology :
5
Overview of most common cattle diseases reported by sub-district.
Serowe Boteti Malahapye Kasane
1 Pasteurellosis Pasteurellosis Lumpy skin disease Cutaneous streptothricosis
2 Black leg Internal parasites Pasteurellosis Fasciolosis
3 Lumpy skin disease Botulism Black leg Calf paratyphoid
4 Botulism Ophtalmia Botulism Abortion
5 Contagious abortion Heartwater Bovine ephemeralfever virus (BEFV)
6 Helminthiosis Anthrax Opthalmia
7 Abortion Mineral imbalance
8 Parasites
9 Aphosphorosis
10 Calf paratyphoid
- Most can be
prevented by
vaccination
- High
occurrence of
abortion
- Consistent with
sero results on
leptospirosis
- Kasane:
different -
fasciolosis

Disease prevalence at household level
Participatory epidemiology
6
- Only 2 districts: hard to
generalize
- High occurrence of
abortion
- Need to explore
leptospirosis in small
ruminants
Most common sheep and goat diseases
Serowe Kasane
1 Pasteurellosis Heartwater
2 Heartwater Contagious ecthyma
3 Enterotoxemia Abortion
4 Footrot Helminthiasis
5 Pink eye Dermatophilosis
6 Contagious abortion

Disease prevalence at household level
Morbidity, mortality and case fatality rates
7
- High fatality rates
from fasciolosis
(asymptomatic)
- High occurrence of
lumpy skin
Herdmorbidity,mortalityandcasefatalityrates- Kasane
Overall morbidity 38.0%
Overall mortality 23.0%
OverallCase Fatality Rate (CFR) 60.5%
CFR Dermatophilosis 58.8%
CFR Fasciolosis 69.2%
CFR LumpySkinDisease 33.3%
CFR Calf parathyphoid 50.0%
Otherdiseases(ephemeralfever, abortion) 66.7%

Disease prevalence at household level
Morbidity, mortality and case fatality rates
8
- Septicemic
pasteurollosis is the
cause for most
mortality
- High occurrence of
abortion
- Need to explore
leptospirosis in small
ruminants
Flock morbidity, mortality and case fatality rates- Serowe sub-district
Overall morbidity 46.0%
Overall mortality 15.0%
Overall Case Fatality Rate (CFR) 32.6%
CFR Heartwater 71.4%
CFR Helminthiosis 18.8%
CFR Pasteurellosis 80.0%
CFR contagious abortion 15.4%
Other diseases 20.0%

Disease prevalence at household level
9
0 50 100 150 200
Deworming
Vaccination
Curative
Ticks control
Average expenditure disease management (BWP/year)
Goats/sheep
Cattle
Animal health care
- Extension agents most
important source of
animal health
information
- Animal health
provider and input
supplier
- Use govt. veterinarians
– 80%
Average expenditure (BWP in 2012) -
livestock
Deworming 281
Curative 302
Vaccination 226
Ticks control 253

Disease prevalence at household level
10
Way Forward
- Need to investigate leptospirosis in small ruminants
and its zoonotic aspects
- Investing in internal and external parasites to
prevent loss of animal due to disease – important
- High worm (burden) – occurrence
- Further analysis - look at factors affecting adoption
of technologies and preventive measures of
specific diseases at household levels

11
Thank you