Public Knowledge Attitude And Behaviour Regarding Antibiotics Use In Animals In Khartoum State

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the public knowledge, attitude and behaviour regarding antibiotic use in animals in Khartoum State. A questionnaire composed of 33 questions of Yes – No style was used to collect the data. One hundred twenty-five genuinely answered questionnaires were considered. The data were statistically analyzed and presented as frequencies and percentages. All interviewed individuals had contact with animals. Their ages ranged from 20 to over 50 years; 70% of them were males who had different education levels and 48.8% were employed in different careers. The results indicated that 70%–94.4% of the respondents showed positive understanding of the nature, types, storage, therapeutic use and side effects of antibiotics in addition to their association with microbes and antimicrobial resistance. Ninety–two percent of the respondents obtained antibiotics through proper channels and 60.2% of them would give antibiotics as growth promoters to animals and poultry; 61.6% of those realized the importance of withdrawal period before using milk and meat of treated animals. Thus, a high concern about food safety and human health was indicated. Seventy-two percent of the respondents pointed out to the missing role of veterinary extension in educating the public.