The Epidemiology of Zoonotic Brucellosis in Bahr el Ghazal Region of South Sudan
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Frontiers in Public Health
Abstract
In this study, we focused on three zoonotic brucellosis risk groups; abattoir
workers, febrile cases at Wau hospital and cattle herders, in Bahr el Ghazal region,
South Sudan. Competitive c-ELISA was used to detect anti-Brucella antibodies in 725
individuals between December 2015 andMay 2016. In addition, questionnairemetadata,
focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used to characterize the
epidemiology of zoonotic brucellosis in this region.
Results: Overall, we estimate 27.2%(95%CI = 23.9–30.6) brucellosis sero-prevalence;
32.1% (95% CI = 26.2–38.4), 23.0% (95% CI = 19.1–27.4) and 34.6% (95%
CI = 24.4–46.3) among abattoir workers, febrile cases, and herders, respectively. Marital
status (Single, OR= 0.58, 95%CI: 0.36–0.91, P =0.02) and ethnicity (Kerash OR = 6.01,
95%CI: 1.97–21.10, P = 0.003 and Balanda, OR = 3.78, 95%CI: 1.42–12.02, P = 0.01)
were associated with brucellosis. While gender and ethnicity were important factors for
general awareness of zoonotic diseases. Highly ranked occupations at risk included
veterinarian, butchers and milk handlers. We also identified covariate patterns for clinical
diagnostics and public health interventions.
Conclusion: We report the highest sero-prevalence of zoonotic brucellosis in three
risk groups in the East African region. All this is not only occurring in a population with
limited awareness that brucellosis is a zoonotic disease but also where one in nine
health workers tested was sero-positive. We identified social demographic associations
with brucellosis, however, the qualitative analysis suggests these are more complex and
nuanced. Therefore, future studies could benefit from the use of the mixed methods
approach to add extensiveness and depth to our understanding of zoonotic disease
drivers, in order to implement mitigating measures such as cattle vaccination.
Description
Keywords
Human, Brucellosis, Cattle, Risk groups, Epidemiology, South Sudan
Citation
Madut NA, Muleme J, Kankya C, Nasinyama GW, Muma JB, Godfroid J, Jubara AS and Muwonge A (2019) The Epidemiology of Zoonotic Brucellosis in Bahr el Ghazal Region of South Sudan. Front. Public Health 7:156. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00156