Knowledge, attitude and practices towards African swine fever among emerging farmers in Uthukela District, KwaZulu Natal Province, South Africa

Abstract

The objective of the study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding African Swine Fever (ASF) among emerging pig farmers in uThukela District, KwaZulu-Natal. The study also identified factors associated with a high knowledge score for ASF among the respondents. All emerging farmers in the study area were invited to participate in the study, but only 426 agreed to voluntarily participate and signed the consent form. All statistical analyses including descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted using SPSS version 27. Statistical significance was assessed at P < 0.5%. More males (60.80%) than females participated in the study. The majority of the respondents (35.68%) were 36-53 years old, followed by 54-71 years old (34.74%). Respondents aged ˃71 were in the minority, making up only 9.15% of the study population. Most respondents (28.64%) did not have formal education, followed by 22.54% who had attended primary school, 22.07% who had completed matric and 21.83% who had not completed matric. The respondents who were unemployed and earned R0-R3 500 kept more pigs (85.92%) than employed respondents. Respondents who had ˃5 years of experience of farming with pigs were in the majority (42.02%), followed by those who had 2-5 years of experience. Most of the farmers (87.79%) indicated that they reared pigs as a source of meat for their family. Only 31.46% of the respondents described ASF as a contagious viral disease, with flu-like symptoms, 26.06% described ASF as a viral disease and 22.54% described the disease as a flu-like disease. Only 19.95% of the respondents said that ASF was a contagious disease. Pigs as spreaders of ASF were mentioned by 44.84% of the respondents. This was followed by 39.67% who said that wild pigs, pigs, and warthogs are responsible for spreading ASF. Very few respondents mentioned wild pigs (9.62%) and warthogs (5.87%) as the only animals that can spread ASF. The majority (39.91%) of the respondents mentioned that the illegal movement of pigs was the only way that ASF is spread. This was followed by 32.63% who said that the lack of a foot bath or biosecurity (19.25%) and feeding of swill (8. 22%) promoted the spread of ASF. Almost all farmers (97.18%) were aware that ASF can spread from one pig to another. Just over half (53.76%) of the respondents said that Ornithodorus ticks and wild boars were the source of the ASF virus. About 60% of the respondents said that the clinical signs of ASF include high fever, ocular discharge and death occurring at 15-45 days. This was followed by 12.44% who said that ASF symptoms include high fever and death occurring at 15-45 days, and 9.62% who said symptoms include ocular discharge only. Almost all the farmers (95.77%) indicated that ASF can be carried by pigs and in pork products. In addition, almost all farmers (96.48%) were aware that ASF is not a curable disease and that it is a notifiable disease (89.44%). All the respondents (100%) indicated that if they suspected a case of ASF, they would inform the nearest State Veterinary Office. Just over half of the respondents (57.28%) fed pigs with kitchen waste (swill), but 42.72% did not. The majority of the respondents (92.72%) mentioned that an outbreak of ASF would be disastrous from a financial point of view, with the remaining 7.28% indicating that it would not be disastrous. While 61.50% indicated that they did not hunt for wild/bush pigs, 38.50% admitted that they did. Residence, gender, reason for rearing pigs and age of respondents were significant (p < 0.05) predictors of a high knowledge score about ASF. Although farmers displayed a good attitude towards ASF, the majority had poor knowledge about ASF. Farmers engage in risky practices such as hunting of wild pigs, which has the potential to increase the spread of ASF. Socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents identified in this study should be considered when designing educational campaigns aimed at improving the knowledge of the respondents and enforcing a positive attitude and good practices that promote the prevention of ASF.