Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Relevant to Disease Reporting and Prevention Among Public and Private Veterinarians in Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Veterinarians serve an important role in timely disease reporting, which helps monitor early warning signs of disease outbreaks so that informed decisions can be made to mitigate them. An online questionnaire was developed and distributed via veterinarians' social media platforms in Plateau State to assess their knowledge, attitude, and practices relevant to disease reporting and prevention and practices relevant to disease reporting and prevention from May 2^nd to June 1^st, 2023. In total, 29 (18.7%) of 155 veterinarians completed the survey across 3 out of the 17 Local Government Areas of the State. The majority were males (62%), married (76%), with a general type of practice (52%), practicing for 11-20 years (55%), and Government employees (83%). A majority (97%) of the veterinarians knew they were required to report diseases, but only 41% each knew whom to report to and the types of diseases they were required to report. The respondents’ knowledge of the Nigerian seven listed priority transboundary animal diseases ranged from 97% for avian influenza to 66% for both peste des petits ruminants and Newcastle disease. Respondents’ attitudes and practices toward disease diagnosis revealed that 69% each reported diagnosing diseases based on clinical signs and confirmatory diagnosis at the reference laboratory at the National Veterinary Research Institute. In comparison, 86% of respondents demonstrated practical use of personal protective equipment when handling animals to prevent zoonotic disease transmission. There is a need for increased awareness among veterinarians on disease reporting in Plateau State, Nigeria.