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Page No. : 10-16

ABSTRACT

The present epidemiological investigation aimed to recognize and document the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of nomadic pastoralists’ towards adoption of approved animal husbandry practices, food safety issues and potential human health risks associated with consumption of contaminated goat milk. The particular emphasis was given to presence of antibiotics residues in milk. A cross-sectional survey was carried out and validated questionnaires were administered to 171 nomadic pastoralists’ (157 males and 14 females) from Western Himalayan region of India. Majority of respondents were aware of antibiotics usage in agriculture farming practices; however, only 5.2% (43/171) respondents had good knowledge about judicious usage of antibiotics, which could be attributed to their education level (H (2) = 24.734, p < 0.05). Self-administration of antibiotics in migratory flock was very common practice and only 6.4 % were using antibiotics following prescription from a veterinarian (H (4) = 26.096, p < 0.05). Majority (71.9%) were unaware of withdrawal period of antibiotics in milk and their impact on human health. We observed that safety measures taken against potential risks of antibiotic exposure were not-sufficient. This study underlines the needs for education programs to create awareness among nomadic pastoralists regarding health risks associated with residues of antibiotics in milk and merits of approved animal husbandry practices.

Keywords: Antibiotics, goat milk, health risks, KAP, migratory, nomadic pastoralists