Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Dairy Farmers Regarding Antibiotic Use and Resistance in Selected Regions of Eritrea.

INTRODUCTION: Irrational use of antibiotics in livestock and human, especially in low- and middle-income countries poses public health threat. Despite the extensive use of antibiotics in dairy farms in Eritrea, so far there is no published report on use of antibiotics and other related health challenges. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken between July to October, 2023 to assess the dairy farmers' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance through face-to-face interviews using semi-structured questionnaires. RESULTS: All dairy farmers 246 (100%) reported using antibiotics, yet 160 (65%) could not identify which infections antibiotics are intended to treat, and 151 (61.4%) had no knowledge of antibiotic resistance. Majority of dairy farmers 207 (84.1%) kept no treatment records, and 144 (58.5%) did not observe withdrawal periods for antibiotics before milk consumption. Overall, 209 (89%), 196 (79.7%) and 200 (81.3%) of the farmers possess inadequate knowledge, unfavorable attitude, and poor practice, respectively. Dairy farmers in Maekel region had favorable attitudes (OR = 3.8, p = 0.037), while farmers in Debub (OR = 13, p = 0.022) and Maekel (OR = 14, p = 0.018) regions showed better practices than Anseba region. And, university educated respondents showed markedly better practices (OR = 35.4, p = 0.002) on antibiotic usage as compared to non-graduates. CONCLUSION: The low level of farmer's Knowledge, attitude and practice in our study underscore the need for a tailored intervention to improve the awareness of farmers on antibiotic use and resistance in order to mitigate the public health risk.