Assessments of Risk Factors and Financial Impacts of Lumpy Skin Disease in Selected Districts of Tigray and Afar Regional States, North Eastern Ethiopia

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2011 to February 2012 in selected districts of Afar and Tigray regional states to determine the herd level prevalence of LSD and its associated risk factors, and to assess financial impacts of the disease and the benefits from its control. A retrospective questionnaires survey was used to collect data on epidemiology of the disease and production losses. Multistage sampling technique was used for the selection of study groups. Households and their respective herds were selected based on the willingness of the respondents to participate in the study. Financial estimation was done within the same study districts and PA with the former one based on purposive sampling of clinically affected animals. A total of 660 questionnaires were collected from the four study districts of which 393 questionnaire were administered to the selected herd owners and the remaining 267 questionnaires were administered to herd owners for financial impact estimations. Out of the collected 393 herds, 173 were found to be infected with LSD with the overall average herd prevalence of 44% (95%CI: 37-50). From 267 herds which comprise 3442 animals collected for financial estimations, 379 animals were affected by the disease. There was significant difference in the prevalence between regions and among the districts with (χ 2 = 8, p<0.05 and χ 2 =9.9, p<0.05) respectively. Introduction of new animal to the herd, herd size and communal grazing and watering points were among the herds risk factors significantly associated with the prevalence of the disease. The cumulative incidence and mortality rate from the 267 herds selected for financial impacts assessments were found to be 11% (95% CI: 9.9-12) and 2 %( 95% CI: 1.5- 2.3) respectively. The estimated percentage production losses were 3.26%, 2.56% and 0.9% of milk loss, draft power and beef loss respectively and the losses associated with these diseases per head of cattle was birr 193.00 (10.9926 USD) and the net benefit obtained from the control of the disease was birr70.00 (3.98695 USD). Awareness should be created in herd owners to use vaccines and on the isolation of infected animals from the rest of the herds as well as in economic impact of the disease