A study of the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Tibetan yak herders with respect to brucellosis.

Background: Little information is available regarding the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of the owners of yaks in Tibet with respect to brucellosis.

Methods: This manuscript reports on the results of a cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire investigating the KAP of 317 yak herders from 34 villages in the three main yak-rearing counties of Maizhokunggar, Damxung and Yadong from April to August 2015.

Results: Although 60.6% of the respondents had heard of brucellosis, there was an overall low level of knowledge about the disease. Herders did, however, adopt management/husbandry practices which would reduce transmission of the disease to humans and other animals. Multivariable logistic modelling showed that a better knowledge was predicted by age, production system adopted, education level and number of people in a household. Differences in attitudes and practices were predicted by education level, production system and household size.

Conclusions: In order to increase the awareness of herders on brucellosis and to reduce the risk of infection in both humans and other animals, public health education campaigns should be developed and offered to livestock owners in Tibet.