A Dissertation 2019
The study was conducted to assess the contribution of local knowledge, practices and
attitudes of the rural community in relation to disease occurrence, poultry production
systems, and management practices in the face of outbreaks of Newcastle disease in
vaccinating and non-vaccinating wards. Participatory epidemiology techniques were
employed in twelve selected villages to collect data. The information collected covered
the existence of poultry diseases, clinical signs, disease incidences, perceptions regarding
disease causes, the use of the vaccine, seasonal patterns, veterinary and local knowledge
concerning the control of Newcastle disease. A questionnaire was used to collect data on
the production system and management practices. Data were subjected to descriptive
statistical analyses. The Chi-square statistic was used for testing relationships between
categorical variables. Friedman test and Kendall coefficients of concordance were used to
determine the level of agreement between informant groups. Results from the study
indicated that village chickens, at 21.1%, constituted the largest proportion of livestock
species kept. Newcastle Disease, fowl typhoid, coccidiosis, fowl pox, ectoparasites and
endoparasites were reported to be the poultry diseases affecting poultry production.
Newcastle disease was described to be the most economically important disease in non-
vaccinated areas and ectoparasites were the most important in vaccinating areas. The
occurrences of Newcastle disease was described to coincide with onset of dry season with
a peak in September. Also, there is a considerable use of local remedies and antibiotics to
treat Newcastle disease. The traditional remedies used are neem tree, aloe vera and
moringa
while
conventional
treatment
included
tetracycline, amoxicillin
and
metronidazole. The results from the study show the difference in attitude and
management practices between vaccinating and none vaccinating households had a
contribution to the outbreaks of Newcastle disease to the village chickens.