SOCIO-ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BRUCELLOSIS IN POST CONFLICT NORTHERN UGANDA

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease with significant social and economic impacts. Aim: This study aimed at investigating the social and economic impacts of human and bovine brucellosis in post-conflict northern Uganda. Method: A total of 46 households where individuals who previously tested positive for brucellosis using indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (iELISA) live. Each of these households kept a minimum of one adult cow (> 3 years) that had at least calved once. Both primary and secondary data was used. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Data on social effects of brucellosis was analyzed with SPSS (Version 16) using descriptive statistics. The burden of brucellosis on the health of people in northern Uganda was determined by calculating Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). The economic significance of brucellosis was calculated using primary and secondary data, in a mathematical model.