Anthrax prevention practice and associated factors among farmers in Farta district, South Gondar, Amhara region, Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Anthrax is a zoonotic disease endemic in Ethiopia. Despite anthrax preventive measures are the key activities to control the disease, several outbreaks have occurred in Ethiopia recently. The objective of the study was therefore to assess the anthrax preventive practice and its associated factors among farmers in Farta district, South Gondar zone, Northwest Ethiopia. METHOD: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among farmers in Farta District from June 7 to 21/2020. A multi-stage sampling technique, with systematic random sampling, was used to select 1,338 study participants. Data were collected through a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. The data were cleaned, coded, and entered into the Epi-data v 3.1 and then exported to SPSS v 23 for analysis. In the bi-variable regression analysis, the variables having a p-value of less than 0.2 were entered into a multivariable logistic regression to control the effect of confounding. Those independent variables with P-value less than 0.05 were taken as statistically significant factors associated with anthrax prevention practice. RESULTS: The proportion of farmers who had good anthrax prevention practice was 35.8% [95% CI 33%, 38%]. Being female (AOR = 2.96; 95% CI 2.18, 4.02), able to read and write (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.08, 2.03), time spent to arrive at a nearby veterinary clinic (AOR = 1.35; 95%CI 1.01, 1.79), heard about anthrax (AOR = 4.54; 95%CI 2.96, 6.95), and had a favorable attitude towards anthrax preventions (AOR = 3.70; 95%CI 2.77, 4.94) were significantly associated with anthrax prevention practice. CONCLUSIONS: The practice of anthrax prevention was low. Sex, educational status, time spent to arrive at the nearby veterinary clinic, knowledge about anthrax, and attitude towards anthrax prevention were significantly associated with anthrax prevention practice. Health education to create a favorable attitude and the establishment of veterinary clinics in the nearby locations are recommended to improve anthrax preventive practices in the study area.