Table 5.
Attitudes and disposition to camel diseases and information sources.
| Variable | Classification | Frequency | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardiness of camel | Yes | 50 | 58.8 |
| No | 35 | 41.2 | |
| Age predisposition for respiratory diseases (n = 85) | Young camels | 51 | 60.0 |
| All ages | 26 | 30.6 | |
| Old camels | 20 | 23.5 | |
| Lactating | 8 | 9.4 | |
| Pregnant | 6 | 7.1 | |
| Seasonal predisposition to respiratory diseases (n = 85) | Rainy season | 48 | 56.6 |
| Cold season | 30 | 35.3 | |
| Dry season | 25 | 29.4 | |
| All the year round | 10 | 11.8 | |
| More during cultural occasion | 3 | 3.5 | |
| Availability of animal health officials (n = 84) | Community disease reporter* | 22 | 26.2 |
| Animal health assistant | 21 | 25.0 | |
| Veterinarian | 14 | 16.7 | |
| Preferred service provider (n = 83) | Herbalist/elders | 24 | 28.9 |
| Community disease reporter | 20 | 24.1 | |
| Animal health assistant | 14 | 16.9 | |
| Level of government support (n = 85) | No support | 55 | 64.7 |
| Little support | 25 | 29.4 | |
| Sufficient support | 3 | 3.5 | |
| I don't know | 1 | 1.2 | |
| Preferred source of information (n = 83) | Interpersonal communication with fellow herd owner | 24 | 28.9 |
| Radio | 16 | 19.3 | |
| Herbalist | 11 | 13.3 | |
| Agro-veterinary shop owner | 7 | 8.4 | |
| Community opinion leader | 6 | 7.2 | |
| Chief “barazas”** | 5 | 6.0 | |
| Veterinarian/animal health assistant | 4 | 4.8 | |
| Mobile phones | 3 | 3.6 | |
| Self-motivated learning | 2 | 2.4 | |
| Community disease reporter | 2 | 2.4 | |
| Training | 1 | 1.2 | |
| Farmers' group | 1 | 1.2 | |
| No preference | 1 | 1.2 |
Community disease reporters are community animal health volunteers who are not officially remunerated for their services but may be paid tokens by the community for their services.
Baraza is the informal village-level dissemination fora.
Attitudes that may increase risk perception to camel respiratory diseases: (1) Association of climatic conditions (cold, dry, and rainy) conditions to respiratory diseases, (2) Association of age to camel respiratory conditions, and (3) Perception that camels are highly valued animals.
Attitudes that may decrease risk perception to camel respiratory diseases: (1) Perception that camels are hardy animals, (2) Perception that government does not care for camels, (3) Low preference given to animal health professionals as a preferred source of information, (4) Doing nothing when encountered with challenges, and (5) Self-treatment of the sick camel.