Understanding the societal burden of neglected zoonotic diseases in Kenya: the case of Rift Valley fever, brucellosis, Q-fever and leptospirosis

Zoonotic diseases impose a considerable health, economic and environmental burden upon society, with a large burden being carried by people in developing countries.

As the different burdens often are assessed separately, the true impact of zoonotic diseases on society is consistently undervalued.

The aim of this three-year project is to estimate the total societal burden of selected zoonotic diseases in Kenya, including the contribution of these diseases to the overall productivity loss in cattle value chains.

In addition, the project also aims to investigate how this burden varies across regions and production systems, and for people of different ages and genders.

To meet these aims, various sources of secondary data will be combined, including FAOSTAT data on livestock populations, Kenya national disease reporting, systematic literature reviews and results from previous and ongoing research activities at ILRI.

These data will be supplemented and triangulated with field work to generate participatory burden assessments in communities representing different livestock systems.

Generating data on the total societal burden of zoonotic diseases will enable evidence-based decision-making when formulating and financing disease control programs.

In a long-term perspective, the results can contribute to improved human and animal health, alleviated poverty and hunger, gender equality and reduced contribution of livestock to climate change and ecosystem damage.