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Abstract:
Brucellosis causes more than 500,000 infections per year worldwide. Its geographic distribution is limited by effective public and animal health programs, and the prevalence of the disease varies widely from country to country. Overall, the frequency of brucellosis is higher in more agrarian societies and in places where handling of animal products and dairy products is less stringent. Currently, about half a million human brucellosis cases are annually reported worldwide but the estimated number of unreported cases due to the unspecific clinical symptoms of the disease is supposed to be 10 times higher. In endemic countries prevalence rates often exceed 10 cases per 100,000. The objective of this study was to establish the factors associated with spread of brucellosis among community members in Mandera East Sub-county, Kenya. The study use descriptive cross sectional survey design. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected from a sample of 420 respondents specifically from a population 2,617 heads of households form Mandera East Sub-county. The study instruments included semi-structured questionnaire, Focus Group Discussion guide and Interview Guide. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 20 and results of the study presented in frequencies and percentages in Tables and Figures. Ethical clearance was sought from Kenyatta University Ethical Clearance Committee, permit to carry out the study was sought from NACOSTI and consent sought from the respondents. The study the factors associated with the spread of brucellosis among the community members in Mandera East Sub-county included directly getting into contact with animals such as goats, cows, wild animals dogs, camels, and sheep and taking poorly prepared milk; consuming raw blood from livestock; taking raw or poorly cooked meat and getting involved in various activities touching on livestock
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