Abdirahman Barre, Shafii Abdullahi Mohamed, Ahmed Abukar Mohamed and Zakaria Ibrahim Issack
Foot-and-mouth disease is a contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact. The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants. The disease is one of the major problems that lead an economic efficiency in pastoralist›s farms that is categorized into clinical and subclinical manifesting of animals Sectors. It is a transboundary animal disease (TAD) that deeply affect the production of livestock and disrupting regional and international trade in animals and animal products. The control of the disease depends on knowledge and Practice of the disease towards farmers and the study aims to assess the knowledge, Attitude and practice among pastoralists in lower Shebelle Somalia. The study was cross-sectional design and used structured face to face questionnaire by using interview to animal community and pastoralists aged between twenty (20) to fifty (50) years old and above. The samples were collected purposively by targeting the available farmers in selected area to assess the knowledge and practice of the disease towards herd leaders and other surrounded. One hundred and ten (110) were questioned out of three hundred (300) by using interview procedure which was 85 (70%) were male. In the selected purposive ample the most aged group were below 35-30 aged. And 85 (72%) have had the disease in fire knowledge and practice throughout farmers in this area. Among of those in the selected samples 15(19%) were mentioned the causative agent is viruses while other 38 (44%) were informed through community health problems. Some farmers were mentioned clinical sings of the disease fever about 50 (59%), depression 16 (21%), hyper salivation 20 (27%), loss of appetite 10(15%), weight loss 8*10%), growth retardation 12(18%) and a drop in milk 2(5%). About attitude and practice of the disease 14(19%) recognised the infection and only 9% had health facilities in the areas. means the outbreak had returned back in pastoralists in lowers abele. Therefore, the study indicated that the infection has both economic impacts and public health problems. Moreover, the community knowledge of the disease is fire while Attitude and precipitation of practice in pastoralists is very poor. so that the study suggests further research and both preventing and control strategic plane throughout pastoralism in this area.