Risk factors of foot and mouth disease in Xayaboury Province of Lao PDR, 2011-2013

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Xayaboury province the northern region of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) during the years 2011 to 2013. FMD outbreak information was provided by the Department of Livestock and Fishery, Lao PDR. Using a case-control design at the household level, questionnaires were employed to livestock owners. Information on the important aspect of general information of livestock owners, FMD control and prevention strategies, FMD emergency vaccination programs, farm size, and farm types was captured. The farm location and the elevation above the sea level were determined by a GPS tracker (Garmin GPS map 60csx, USA). The network data of animal movement between villages that matched our survey villages (29 villages) were extracted from a previous study in 2012 of Foot and Mouth Disease Control in Southeast Asia Through Application of the Progressive Control Pathway (FAO-ROK National Project) under the Department of Livestock and Fisheries of Lao PDR. A total of 434 households in 59 villages of 5 districts were interviewed and their data collected comprising 181 case households, 146 control households inside the outbreak villages and 107 control households outside the outbreak villages. Data from questionnaires and spatial data were analyzed as independent variables in the logistic regression model using FMD occurrence at the household level as a dependent variable. Network parameters were analyzed the association with FMD occurrence at the village level by non-parametric test. The results show that livestock owners who had knowledge about FMD before the outbreaks were able to better prevent their animals from FMD (P <0.01) although they were less educated and administered less vaccination to their livestock. The livestock households in the community closer to a main road and selling their livestock before outbreak were at higher risk to developing FMD (P <0.01). Moreover, the information of network parameters at the village level indicated that the villages with high movements of livestock were at high risk of FMD (P <0.05). Based on the overall results, to reduce the chance of FMD outbreaks in the area with a low number of vaccinated livestock, the location of farm lands should be remote from a high density community and awareness of livestock owners on FMD prevention should be raised to a high priority to reduce the outbreak.