Study on the prevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease in Borana and Guji Zones, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

A cross sectional study was conducted on Borana plateau and Guji highlands of southern Ethiopia to determine the prevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in bovine species. Seroprevalence investigation was performed using 3ABC-ELISA technique. The result indicated that the overall prevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease was 24.6 % (113/460). Significantly higher prevalence was recorded in Borana 53.6 %( 82/153) compared to Guji 10.1 %( 31/307). From the various risk factors, geographical distribution (=104.26, P<0.05) and age (=6.68, P<0.05) were seen to be significantly associated with the seroprevalence. The result of this study indicated that FMD is highly prevalent in lowland area (Borana) than highland (Guji) due to contact of different origin cattle in search of feed and water. The presence of higher prevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease in pastoralists' cattle of the area warrants further investigation and characterization of the circulating virus serotype to apply effective control and prevention measures.