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Universities and colleges are often regarded as playing a key role in educating veterinarians and animal health workers who advise farmers on herd health and animal husbandry. However, to date, studies examining veterinary students’ knowledge of zoonotic diseases of public health importance and the source of this knowledge, as well as their preparedness to respond to these diseases, have focused on the Global North rather than the Global South. This study takes Ethiopia as a case study in exploring veterinary medicine students’ knowledge of zoonosis risks, infection control practices and biosecurity measures, recognizing that it is imperative to reconcile national-level veterinary education curricula with emerging global trends, such as One Health-focused training. This training advocates for a collaborative, interdisciplinary response at local, national, and international levels to the adverse impact of zoonotic diseases on animal health and productivity, and human and environmental health. Data for this study were collected through a pre-tested online questionnaire administered to 154 veterinary students from several universities in Ethiopia. The findings of this study suggest veterinary students were aware of the public health risks posed by zoonoses and the important role that collaboration between the disciplines of human and animal health can play in addressing zoonoses and emerging health risks. However, students demonstrated poor knowledge of the need to adopt infection control measures (ICPs) and biosecurity measures to reduce occupational risks and prevent within and between herd transmission of infection. Moreover, students’ vaccination rates against zoonotic diseases associated with occupational risks, such as rabies, were low. The results of this study suggest that there are currently gaps in Ethiopia’s veterinary curriculum and that enhancing veterinary students’ access to information regarding infection control practices and biosecurity measures could

Introduction Informal markets play a crucial role in providing fresh and nutritious foods for people in low and middle-income countries. However, the safety of food sold in these markets remains a major concern, contributing to a high burden of foodborne illnesses. Methods This study was designed to analyze stakeholder perceptions of food safety in selected informal public markets in Kenya. Eight focus group discussions and 15 key informant interviews were conducted. In addition, two workshops were held to validate the findings. Results and discussion We found that consumers and vendors confounded food quality, especially freshness, with safety, and paid more attention to appearance and physical qualities than food safety. Information (such as branding and expiry dates) and heuristic cues (such as the flow of buyers and the presence of flies) were used to assess food safety. Meat was perceived as the food most likely to cause disease. Chemical hazards in fresh produce and aflatoxins in maize were mentioned as priority hazards by both vendors and consumers. Stakeholders more knowledgeable about food safety considered microbial hazards as a top priority. Although diarrheal diseases were reported to be prevalent in the communities, these were often thought to be the result of agri-chemical residues in fresh produce or the consumption of high-fat foods, and not commonly linked to bacteria in food. Gaps identified during the interviews included poor infrastructure, inadequate food safety knowledge, insufficient or prohibitive policies, insufficient political will, and poor food safety-related practices. There were few mentions of lack of motivation or incentives for behavior change, or insufficient consumer demand for food safety. To fill the gaps, several opportunities were discussed, including contextualizing policies and regulations, investing in infrastructure, capacity building, and training, and promoting involvement and collaboration among various stakeholders. Co

Veterinarians play a significant role in the treatment and prevention of livestock diseases at the farm level, safeguarding public health and ensuring food safety. In sub-Saharan Africa, access to quality veterinary services is a major challenge for livestock farmers due to the low number of publicly employed veterinarians, underfunding and privatisation of veterinary services. Low investment in veterinary services and infrastructure, including a lack of laboratories for diagnosis, has made veterinarians rely on their experience and knowledge of cattle disease symptoms developed over years of practice to diagnose and treat cattle diseases. A cross-sectional survey using a role-play approach was used to collect data on knowledge regarding cattle diseases among veterinarians in veterinary clinics and private practices in Addis Ababa, Oromia and Adama regions in Ethiopia. Veterinarians were given a number of disease scenarios based on "fictive disease symptoms" that are commonly manifested in a sick cow and asked to identify the disease what personal biosecurity they would use, diagnostic tests they would perform, treatments they would prescribe, treatment costs, and additional services and inputs they would recommend to the farmer. The results show that veterinarians could identify endemic cattle diseases through symptoms. The majority of veterinarians did not find it important to report notifiable diseases, a behaviour which could hamper disease surveillance and outbreak response. The advice and services the veterinarians said they would offer and recommend to farmers included improvement in feeding, vaccination, use of artificial insemination, and adoption of farm biosecurity measures that can reduce disease prevalence, and improve food safety, animal health and welfare. Low use of personal protective equipment and other protective biosecurity measures among veterinarians could expose them to zoonotic diseases. The study concludes that there is a need for increased

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a threat to animal and human health, as well as food security and nutrition. Development of AMR is accelerated by over- and misuse of antimicrobials as seen in many livestock systems, including poultry production. In Vietnam, high AMR levels have been reported previously within poultry production, a sector which is dominated by small-scale farming, even though it is intensifying. This study focuses on understanding small- and medium-scale chicken farmers' knowledge and practices related to AMR by applying an item response theory (IRT) approach, which has several advantages over simpler statistical methods. Methods: Farmers representing 305 farms in Thai Nguyen province were interviewed from November 2021 to January 2022, using a structured questionnaire. Results generated with IRT were used in regression models to find associations between farm characteristics, and knowledge and practice levels. Results: Descriptive results showed that almost all farmers could buy veterinary drugs without prescription in the local community, that only one third of the farmers received veterinary professional advice or services, and that the majority of farmers gave antibiotics as a disease preventive measure. Regression analysis showed that multiple farm characteristics were significantly associated to farmers' knowledge and practice scores. Conclusion: The study highlights the complexity when tailoring interventions to move towards more medically rational antibiotic use at farms in a setting with high access to over-the-counter veterinary drugs and low access to veterinary services, since many on-farm factors relevant for the specific context need to be considered.

Background Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a One Health issue and a major threat to animal and human health. Antibiotic use (ABU) drives AMR development, and several hotspots for ABU, and AMR, in livestock have been identified in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam. There are often multiple drivers of ABU at farms, and to identify all of them there is a need to look beyond farm level. Objectives The overall aim of this study was to identify routines and/or competencies, related to antibiotic sales, among veterinary drug shop workers that may be improved in order to decrease the medically non-rational use of antibiotics in livestock production. Methods A questionnaire-based survey was conducted at 50 veterinary drug shops in northern Vietnam. Results Results showed high education and knowledge levels. According to the respondents, antibiotic treatment advice was almost always provided to the farmers, and the recommended treatment was most commonly based on recommendations for the specific disease. However, farmers had almost never had their animals properly diagnosed. Antibiotics were the most sold drug category, penicillins being the most common. Several broad-spectrum antibiotics were also quite frequently sold. Further, >50% of respondents recommended antibiotics for disease prevention. Conclusions Even though education and knowledge levels might be high, several challenges can prevent drug shop workers from contributing to more prudent ABU at farms, for example, lack of proper diagnosis, commercial interests and individual farmer motives, often in combination with poor compliance to regulations.