Summary
Food-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Cambodia. The control program
for FMD has relied on vaccination, with poor vaccination uptake by
smallholder farmers an increasing concern. A study to improve
understanding of farmer knowledge, attitudes and practices of FMD and
FMD vaccination was conducted in two Cambodian provinces (Kampong Cham
and Pursat). The aim was to identify opportunities to improve the
disease control programs provided by both the government and private
sectors. The survey comprised 300 smallholder farmers using a one-on-one
interview technique. Results identified that over two-thirds of the
respondent farmers had not vaccinated their cattle over two-year period.
Of those who did, most cattle were vaccinated either once a year or once
every three years. A booster had never been administered. It was
concluded that the FMD vaccine had only been administered through an
unreliable and limited government vaccination program, and private FMD
vaccination services were not accessed in the study areas. FMD outbreaks
occurred every year during the study period, with a morbidity rate of
over 30%. Isolation of first infected cattle from the household herd
was not practiced, with treatment identified as the first preference
intervention. Farmers often assisted other farmers to restrain and treat
infected cattle both before (57%), and after (43%) their own cattle
were infected. This indicated that the majority of farmers did not
practice basic biosecurity measures and chose to report FMD outbreaks to
the village animal health workers (VAHW), friends, neighbors and
relatives in preference to government officials. It was concluded that
poor knowledge of disease transmission and biosecurity, with low FMD
vaccination coverage and a focus on treatment, contribute to regular FMD
outbreaks in these communities. Improvement of FMD control requires the
cooperation of villagers, VAHWs and village leaders in disease
reporting, with either improved funding of government vaccination
services or establishment of a private FMD vaccination service. Training
programs for farmers on disease transmission, and the importance of
biosecurity and vaccination, including information on the cost-benefits
of treatment versus full fee bi-annual FMD vaccination, are required.
Key Words: Foot and mouth disease, Cambodia, cattle,
smallholder farmer; vaccination