Anthrax knowledge, perception, and preventive practices of livestock workers and household animal owners in Nigeria

<h2>Abstract</h2><h3>Background</h3> Anthrax outbreaks pose significant public health and socioeconomic challenges. Following the recent outbreaks, a cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the knowledge, perception and preventive practices of livestock workers and household animal owners regarding anthrax and the associated socioeconomic implications in Nigeria. <h3>Methods</h3> A pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used. In all, 1025 respondents in seven of the 36 states in Nigeria were selected and assessed based on reported anthrax outbreaks, neighbouring states to outbreak locations, and livestock presence. Univariate analysis was done, and Chi-square test statistics and binary logistic regression were used to test for significant association between the knowledge, perception and independent variables. <h3>Results</h3> Of the 1025 respondents, 58.6% and 79.9% demonstrated good knowledge (score ≥ 36 of 72) and positive perception (score ≥ 15 of 24), respectively. Twenty-two percent had never taken any preventive measures against anthrax, and only 27.7% knew about the anthrax vaccination programme for livestock. Exactly 23.8% indicated that regulations imposed during the anthrax outbreak affected their livestock-related activities, while 40.6% were worried they might go out of business due to the anthrax outbreak. The respondents' knowledge was significantly associated with being aware (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR): 5.35; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): CI: 3.12 – 9.18). <h3>Conclusions</h3> The study highlights the need for targeted educational programs to bridge knowledge and perception gaps and improve preventive practices