Ethnoknowledge of Bukusu community on livestock tick prevention and control in Bungoma district, western Kenya.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: To date, nomadic communities in Africa have been the primary focus of ethnoveterinary research. The Bukusu of western Kenya have an interesting history, with nomadic lifestyle in the past before settling down to either arable or mixed arable/pastoral farming systems. Their collective and accumulative ethnoveterinary knowledge is likely to be just as rich and worth documenting. AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the present study was to document indigenous knowledge of the Bukusu on the effect of livestock ticks and ethnopractices associated with their management. It was envisaged that this would provide a basis for further research on the efficacy of these practices that could also lead to the discovery of useful tick-control agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Non-alienating, dialogic, participatory action research (PAR) and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approaches involving 272 women and men aged between 18 and 118 years from the Bukusu community were used. RESULTS: Ticks are traditionally classified and identified by colour, size, host range, on-host feeding sites, and habitat preference. Tick-associated problems recognised include kamabumba (local reference to East Coast fever, Anaplasmosis or Heartwater diseases transmitted by different species of livestock ticks) and general poor performance of livestock. Traditional methods of controlling ticks include handpicking, on-host use of ethnobotanical suspensions (prepared from one or more of over 150 documented plants) to kill the ticks and prevent re-infestation, fumigation of infested cattle with smoke derived from burning ethnobotanical products, burning pastures, rotational grazing ethnopractices, and livestock quarantine. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that the Bukusu have preserved rich ethnoveterinary knowledge and practices. It provides some groundwork for elucidating the efficacy of some of these ethnopractices in protecting livestock from tick disease vectors, particularly those involving the use of ethnobotanicals, which may lead to the discovery of useful ant-tick agents.

A comparison of the 1995 and 1989 Kenya Situation Analysis Study findings.

PIP: This study examined quality of care in delivery of services among Ministry of Health Service Delivery Points (SDPs) in Kenya in 1989 and 1995. The situation analysis focused on method availability, IEC, supervision, training, number of clients served by method, choice of methods, information provided, and integration of services. More information was collected and a diversity of sites were included in 1995. The logistics system for contraceptive availability was viewed as low to moderate in 1989, with under 50% of the SDPs offering foam, condoms, and IUDs. Depo-Provera and Norplant were more available in 1995. Foam tablets were less available in 1995. Sterilization data was not available in 1989. In 1995, 25% of SDPs offered tubal ligation and 11% offered vasectomy. Method availability increased over time. IEC was rated as low in 1989. The display of family planning posters and the availability of pamphlets improved by 1995, but the lack of health talks on the day of the visit remained the same. Supervision was rated low in both 1989 and 1995, based on the number and quality of supervisory visits. Personnel and training were rated as moderate in 1989. In-service training for nurses delivering family planning increased from 1989 to 1995, from 32% to about 60%. During 1989-95, the proportion of clinics that served no clients for each method declined sharply, and the proportion of SDPs serving 1-19 clients/month increased sharply. There were large shifts in the proportion serving over 100 clients/month. The proportion of clinics serving oral pills to over 100 clients/month declined from 28% to 13%, and the proportion offering Depo-Provera increased from 4% to 25% during 1989-95. More clients had heard about permanent methods and fewer about spermicides. More clients had heard about side effects and their management in 1995. The Situation Analysis documented important changes and showed quality of care improvements.^ieng