Harm to the Well-being of the Udder at the Level of Dairy Farms of Sidi Mhamed Benali Wilaya of Relizane (Algeria)

Background: Among the dairy cattle production problems in Algeria, mastitis rank first in terms of socio-economic impact. Our aim is to identify the state of well-being of the udder in order to manage and control mastitis related problems. Methods: The pH analysis of 177 cow milk samples was performed at two farms located in the Sidi Mhamed Benali region in northwest Algeria associated with an assessment (of the udder’s cleanliness degree, the udder’s position, the teat’s hyperkeratosis lesion and the ITH) out over a period of one year (2020-2021). Result: Analysis of mean (of cleanliness, udder position and ITH) between cold and warm season were significantly different at a value of [(4.11; 2.75); (5.19; 4.11); (56.96; 73.76)] respectively. The paper test revealed that the health of the udder is influenced by any variation in cleanliness and the ITH whose correlation coefficient is equal to 0.72 leading to the appearance of subclinical mastitis during the cold season. While during the hot season the bad milking procedure is incriminated in the appearance of hyperkeratosis lesion at a mean value equal to 1 (smooth ring stage) inducing the appearance of clinical mastitis with p less than 0.05, moreover the cows in first lactation are the most influenced by these elicited factors. In conclusion, monitoring and evaluating the well-being of the udder around the parturition is a tool that allows better prevention of mastitis.

Preliminary Outbreak Investigation and Spatial Epidemiology of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Outbreak in Nigeria

The outbreak of highly contagious transboundary rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) in Nigeria has a severe socio-economic impact on the rabbit industry. We present the outbreak investigation and spatial epidemiology of the first confirmed RHD outbreak in Nigeria from a field survey of 28 stochastic outbreaks in Kwara State, north-central Nigeria. A total of 1,639 rabbits died from 2,053 susceptible rabbits. The serotype “RHDV-2” was detected in tissue samples from some of the outbreaks. The case fatality rate of the RHDV-2 outbreak was 79.8%. The source of the outbreak is still unknown. Most (71.4%) of the farmers had introduced new rabbits into their farms 1–2 weeks before the outbreak. Most of the farmers practiced biosecurity measures such as farm fencing (83.1%) and routine disinfection of the farm materials (53.6%). However, only 17.8% of the farmers enforced movement restrictions into their farms. Some of the farmers (42.8%) had restocked their farms after being affected by the RHD outbreak and 75% of all those farmers that have restocked had used the RHD vaccine. There was no statistically significant association between adherence to biosecurity measures and the RHD outbreak in affected farms (p = 0.408). However, the introduction of new rabbits into rabbit farms significantly pre-disposed farms to the RHD outbreak (p < 0.001). There is a need for active surveillance of RHD across the country to ensure efficient and effective tracking, monitoring, and control of the disease. Equally, understanding the genetic diversity of the Lagoviruses in Nigeria that cause RHD to aid vaccine development is of utmost importance to prevent future RHD outbreaks.

Prevalence, Risk Factors for Exposure, and Socio-Economic Impact of Peste Des Petits Ruminants in Karenga District, Karamoja Region, Uganda

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a disease caused by small ruminant morbillivirus (SRM), is highly contagious with high morbidity and mortality. Controlling PPR requires a proper understanding of the epidemiological dynamics and impact of the disease in a range of geographical areas and management systems. Karenga district, located in the pastoral region of Karamoja in northeastern Uganda, and in the vicinity of Kidepo Valley National Park, is characterised by free cross-border (South Sudan and Kenya) livestock trade, communal grazing, and transhumance. This study was conducted from November through December 2020 to determine the seroprevalence of anti-SRM antibodies, the risk factors associated with the occurrence, and the socio-economic impact of PPR in Karenga. A total of 22 kraals were randomly selected from all administrative units, and 684 small ruminants (sheep = 115, goats = 569) were selected for serum collection using systematic random sampling. Exposure to SRM was determined using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The overall true seroprevalence of SRM antibodies was high, 51.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 45–52.6). Multivariate logistic regression for risk factors showed that seroprevalence varied significantly by location (26.8% to 87.8%, odds ratio (OR) ≤ 14.5). The odds of exposure to SRM were higher in sheep (73.9%) than in goats (43.8%) (OR = 1.7, p = 0.08), and seropositivity was higher in animals greater than two years old (65.5%; OR = 11.1, p < 0.001), or those one to two years old (24.7%; OR = 1.6, p = 0.2), compared to small ruminants less than one year old (16.1%). Using participatory epidemiology approaches (semi-structured interviews, clinical examinations, pairwise ranking, proportional piling, impact matrix scoring) with 15 key informants and 22 focus groups of pastoralists, PPR was the second most important small ruminant disease: relative morbidity 14%, relative mortality 9%, and case fatality rate 78%, and impacted productivity mainly in terms of treatment costs, mortality, marketability, and conflicts. These findings provide evidence to support the implementation of disease surveillance and control strategies to mitigate the impact of PPR in Karamoja and other pastoral areas in eastern Africa.

Dairy Value Chain

Livestock sector is the backbone of Indian agriculture and plays a crucial role in the development of the rural economy. More than one-fifth (23%) of agricultural households with area less than 0.01 hectare reported livestock as their principal source of income (GoI Government of India (2014) Key indicators of situation of agricultural). Livestock is one of the fastest-growing sectors of Indian agriculture. While the share of overall agriculture and allied sectors in Gross Value Added (GVA) declined from 18.2% in 2014–15 to 17.8% in 2019–20, the share of livestock sector in GVA increased from 4.4% to 5.1% in the same period (GoI Government of India (2021) The economic survey (2020–21). Ministry of Finance. Government of India). Livestock sector accounts for 31% of the gross value of output in agriculture and allied sector (GVOA). Within livestock, milk is the biggest component with 20% share in GVOA. In fact, milk is the largest agriculture commodity in terms of value of output worth INR 772,705 crores in 2018–19 which was more than the value of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and sugarcane combined worth INR 623,462 crores (MoSPI. (2021). National Accounts Statistics 2020. Central Statistical Organization. Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation.). Around 70 million of rural households are engaged in milk production, most of them are landless, marginal, and small farmers (NCAER. (2020). Analyzing Socio-Economic Impact of National Dairy Plan—I. National Council for Applied Economic Research. February 2020.). As a source of livelihood for million of poor households, dairying also supplements their dietary sources of protein and nutrition thus playing a critical role in the country’s food security needs.

Geotechnical Management of Isolated Sustainable Alpine Communities

The Albanian Alps are situated in a mountainous block in the Northern Albania region, in the counties of Shkodër (also known as Shkodra or Gegëria) and Kukës (Kukësi). The nature of the mountainous terrain formation has led to the creation of isolated communities. The need for integrating these scattered communities into a cohesive co-operating community for area sustainability is now possible by using the Internet to link them all onto an online system. To deal with natural catastrophes, disaster management cells will be created which will serve as hubs. These hubs will be located at geographically strategic positions that will enable a predetermined geofenced region for evaluation of different disasters viz. forest fires, landslide, flooding, avalanches, the burial of villages under heavy snowfalls, etc. These cells will connect the particular case with the most appropriate disaster relief, rescue service and EMR (Emergency Medical Responder), first aid services (e.g. Green Crescent/Red Cross) and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) personnel. The cells shall be managed by locally trained human resources with the necessary equipment to provide the monitoring/analyses and first aid assistance in case of need. The technology needed for the monitoring and geotechnical management of the isolated Alpine communities will be described. The socio-economic impact of the deployment of these technologies aiding in the sustainability of these vulnerable communities will conclude the research.

A Comparative Study on Socio-Economic Impact of COVID- 19 Pandemic on Fisheries Industry in Tangalle Divisional Secretariat Division

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has provided the basis for creating a highly problematic environment in every sector of the world today has also had a significant impact on the fisheries industry which is one of the world’s leading economic activities. The main objective of this study was to examine the socio-economic impacts on fisheries industry before and during COVID-19 pandemic situation with special reference to Tangalle Divisional Secretariat Division. The study was based on the four Grama Niladhari Divisions of Kudawella North, Central, South and West associated with the Kudawella Fisheries Harbor. Primary data was collected from a field survey using a semi structured questionnaire from 74 fishing families representing the 75% of the population under stratified random sampling. Paired T test was carried out to test the variables comparatively before and after COVID-19 pandemic to confirm the result statistically. In addition, simple statistical methods were used for the quantitative assessment. Results revealed that the epidemic situation had a significant socio-economic impact on the fishing industry during the COVID-19 pandemic situation such as declining income, growth of indebtedness, disruption of children’s education, mental distress and social stigma. Suggestions were identified to mitigate the impacts. In this context, it was concluded that the COVID-19 epidemic has primarily affected the fisheries industry and as a result, created many socio-economic problems for the fisheries community.