Participatory Epidemiology of Major Camel Diseases and Their Management in Somalia: The Case of Banadir and Lower Shabelle Regions.
- 1Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry Somali National University (SNU) Mogadishu Somalia.
- 2Department of Veterinary Medicine Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry University of Somalia (UNISO) Mogadishu Somalia.
- 3Department of Animal Production Ministry of Livestock, Forestry and Range Mogadishu Somalia.
Abstract
This study investigates major camel diseases, their community-perceived epidemiological characteristics, and management practices in the Banadir and Lower Shabelle regions of Somalia. Data were collected from 17 key informants through semistructured interviews and from 18 participants across three focus group discussions (FGDs). Semistructured interviews captured key camel diseases, their local names, disease impacts, coping mechanisms, and locally used disease management approaches, while FGDs were used to conduct participatory exercises to rank and characterize diseases based on severity and clinical signs. Kendall's W was used to assess consensus among participants, revealing the strength of the agreement across groups. Ten diseases were most frequently reported, including trypanosomosis, mastitis, pneumonia, ringworm, camelpox, mange, tetanus, wry neck, parasite infection, and anthrax. For disease management practices, about 15 out of 17 respondents reported using both modern medicines and traditional practices such as burning, administering Dobera glabra seeds, and applying camel hump ghee. In addition, 13 out of 17 informants indicated that farmers do not conduct regular animal health checkups. Preventive measures included isolation, relocation, and recitation of the Holy Quran. Regarding veterinary consultation, 10 out of 17 respondents reported poor veterinary consultation, citing limited awareness and poor accessibility as potential causes. Of the eight diseases assessed by pairwise ranking, farmers rated anthrax (Kud) as the most severe (mean 6.67 ± 0.58 out of 7), followed by tetanus (Taagow, 6.00 ± 1.00), with strong, statistically significant agreement across the focus groups (Kendall's W = 0.849; p = 0.013). Wry neck and trypanosomosis were rated moderately severe, while pneumonia, mange, mastitis, and camelpox scored lowest. Matrix scoring showed strong, statistically significant agreement among the three informant groups across all disease signs (Kendall's W = 0.74-1.00; p < 0.05). The strongest associations were dyspnea and nasal discharge with pneumonia (mean scores 15.00 ± 1.00/20 and 16.67 ± 2.08/20), odor change with trypanosomosis (15.00 ± 3.00/20), and fever with camelpox and trypanosomosis. The findings also revealed clear seasonal variation in camel diseases, with most conditions peaking during the rainy seasons of spring (Gu) and autumn (Dayr). In contrast, trypanosomosis, tetanus, and mange occurred throughout the year, while anthrax was predominantly associated with the dry Jiilaal season. Major challenges reported include limited veterinary services, high treatment costs, and inadequate feed and drug supplies. These findings reflect substantial indigenous knowledge and point to the need for integrated interventions including improved veterinary services, affordable drugs and vaccines, and farmer capacity building to strengthen camel health in the region.
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BibTeX
@article{salah2026participatory,
title = {{Participatory Epidemiology of Major Camel Diseases and Their Management in Somalia: The Case of Banadir and Lower Shabelle Regions.}},
author = {Omar Salah and Yasin Sh Hassan and Mohamed Yusuf and Hassan AbdiNB},
journal = {Veterinary medicine international},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1155/vmi/3560931},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928791},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Participatory Epidemiology of Major Camel Diseases and Their Management in Somalia: The Case of Banadir and Lower Shabelle Regions.
AU - Omar Salah
AU - Yasin Sh Hassan
AU - Mohamed Yusuf
AU - Hassan AbdiNB
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Veterinary medicine international
DO - 10.1155/vmi/3560931
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928791
AB - This study investigates major camel diseases, their community-perceived epidemiological characteristics, and management practices in the Banadir and Lower Shabelle regions of Somalia. Data were collected from 17 key informants through semistructured interviews and from 18 participants across three focus group discussions (FGDs). Semistructured interviews captured key camel diseases, their local names, disease impacts, coping mechanisms, and locally used disease management approaches, while FGDs were used to conduct participatory exercises to rank and characterize diseases based on severity and clinical signs. Kendall's W was used to assess consensus among participants, revealing the strength of the agreement across groups. Ten diseases were most frequently reported, including trypanosomosis, mastitis, pneumonia, ringworm, camelpox, mange, tetanus, wry neck, parasite infection, and anthrax. For disease management practices, about 15 out of 17 respondents reported using both modern medicines and traditional practices such as burning, administering Dobera glabra seeds, and applying camel hump ghee. In addition, 13 out of 17 informants indicated that farmers do not conduct regular animal health checkups. Preventive measures included isolation, relocation, and recitation of the Holy Quran. Regarding veterinary consultation, 10 out of 17 respondents reported poor veterinary consultation, citing limited awareness and poor accessibility as potential causes. Of the eight diseases assessed by pairwise ranking, farmers rated anthrax (Kud) as the most severe (mean 6.67 ± 0.58 out of 7), followed by tetanus (Taagow, 6.00 ± 1.00), with strong, statistically significant agreement across the focus groups (Kendall's W = 0.849; p = 0.013). Wry neck and trypanosomosis were rated moderately severe, while pneumonia, mange, mastitis, and camelpox scored lowest. Matrix scoring showed strong, statistically significant agreement among the three informant groups across all disease signs (Kendall's W = 0.74-1.00; p < 0.05). The strongest associations were dyspnea and nasal discharge with pneumonia (mean scores 15.00 ± 1.00/20 and 16.67 ± 2.08/20), odor change with trypanosomosis (15.00 ± 3.00/20), and fever with camelpox and trypanosomosis. The findings also revealed clear seasonal variation in camel diseases, with most conditions peaking during the rainy seasons of spring (Gu) and autumn (Dayr). In contrast, trypanosomosis, tetanus, and mange occurred throughout the year, while anthrax was predominantly associated with the dry Jiilaal season. Major challenges reported include limited veterinary services, high treatment costs, and inadequate feed and drug supplies. These findings reflect substantial indigenous knowledge and point to the need for integrated interventions including improved veterinary services, affordable drugs and vaccines, and farmer capacity building to strengthen camel health in the region.
SN - 2090-8113
SN - 2042-0048
ER -