Estimating the financial impact of livestock schistosomiasis on traditional subsistence and transhumance farmers keeping cattle, sheep and goats in northern Senegal

Adeyemo, Praise; Léger, Elsa; Hollenberg, Elizabeth; Diouf, Nicolas; Sène, Mariama; Webster, Joanne P.; Häsler, Barbara

Abstract

Background: Schistosomiasis is a disease that poses major threats to human and animal health, as well as the
economy, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Whilst many studies have evaluated the economic impact of schistosomiasis in humans, to date only one has been performed in livestock in SSA and none in Senegal. This study aimed
to estimate the financial impact of livestock schistosomiasis in selected regions of Senegal.
Methods: Stochastic partial budget models were developed for traditional ruminant farmers in 12 villages in
northern Senegal. The models were parameterised using data from a cross-sectional survey, focus group discussions,
scientific literature and available statistics. Two scenarios were defined: scenario 1 modelled a situation in which farmers tested and treated their livestock for schistosomiasis, whilst scenario 2 modelled a situation in which there were
no tests or treatment. The model was run with 10,000 iterations for 1 year; results were expressed in West African CFA
francs (XOF; 1 XOF was equivalent to 0.0014 GBP at the time of analysis). Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess
the impact of uncertain variables on the disease costs.
Results: Farmers surveyed were aware of schistosomiasis in their ruminant livestock and reported hollowing around
the eyes, diarrhoea and weight loss as the most common clinical signs in all species. For scenario 1, the median
disease costs per year and head of cattle, sheep and goats were estimated at 13,408 XOF, 27,227 XOF and 27,694 XOF,
respectively. For scenario 2, the disease costs per year and head of cattle, sheep and goats were estimated at 49,296
XOF, 70,072 XOF and 70,281 XOF, respectively.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the financial impact of livestock schistosomiasis on traditional subsistence
and transhumance farmers is substantial. Consequently, treating livestock schistosomiasis has the potential to generate considerable benefits to farmers and their families. Given the dearth of data in this region, our study serves as a
foundation for further in-depth studies to provide estimates of disease impact and as a baseline for future economic
analyses. This will also enable One Health economic studies where the burden on both humans and animals is estimated and included in cross-sectoral cost–benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses of disease control strategies.

Citation

Adeyemo, P., Léger, E., Hollenberg, E., Diouf, N., Sène, M., Webster, J. P., & Häsler, B. (2022). Estimating the financial impact of livestock schistosomiasis on traditional subsistence and transhumance farmers keeping cattle, sheep and goats in northern Senegal. Parasites and Vectors, 15(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-05147-w

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 29, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Publication Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Journal: Parasites & Vectors
• Print ISSN: 1756-3305
• Electronic ISSN: 1756-3305
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 15
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-05147-w
• Keywords: Infectious Diseases; Parasitology
• Public URL: https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1558349
• Additional Information: Received: 27 July 2021; Accepted: 29 December 2021; First Online: 22 March 2022; : ; : For all primary data collection activities, the researchers first explained what the study was about, how the data collection would work and the rights of the participants. Following that, each participant was asked to give their consent, which was either recorded as oral consent in the survey software or as written consent for the FGDs. Ethical approval was sought and granted by (i) the Clinical Research and Ethical Review Board at the Royal Veterinary College, approval number URN 2019 1899-3; and (ii) the Comité National d’Ethique pour la Recherche en Santé (Dakar, Senegal) approval numbers SEN15/68 and SEN 19/68.; : Not applicable.; : We declare no competing interests.