The Observer - Animal Health: Poverty exacerbates zoonotic diseases

I once heard a seasoned politician in Uganda tell a gathering that being poor is next to sin and that we should be prosecuting the lazy people keeping this country in poverty. I thought this was very harsh. Poor people often get trapped in a never ending cycle of problems which in some sections is known as “the devil’s circle of poverty.”

As if being poor is not bad enough, poor people are more likely to be exposed to zoonotic diseases than their well-to-do counterparts. Zoonotic diseases are those that are common in animals but can also be transferred to people.

Poor communities are more likely to suffer from zoonotic diseases because of:

Lack of education

This is the yoke that keeps many in the strangling position of poverty. If one does not know that certain diseases exist, they will not care or even have the motivation to prevent them.

Poor sanitary conditions

This stems from lack of education or common knowledge. Poor people are bound to be ignorant of basic primary health practices. This is worsened by the lack of money to build good sanitary systems.

Purchase of unhealthy animals or animal products

When poor, one can only afford cheaper animals. Cheaper animals are often less healthy. They are the ones being sold after suffering several diseases and being less productive. Cheap meat on the other hand, is never the healthiest of meats. It is often not inspected by animal health experts and it therefore has a greater risk of harbouring disease-causing agents.

Lack of veterinary and public health services

Lack of free veterinary services worsens situations in rural communities that cannot pay for private services. Their animals may suffer from diseases which, if untreated, can affect the animal owners.
Poor people are often undernourished and less healthy. They are, therefore, are more susceptible to infectious disease in general and zoonoses in particular. This is made worse by the fact that they lack money to set up good health systems for themselves and their animals.
Diseases like tuberculosis, typhoid, brucellosis, sleeping sickness and jigger infestations that are common in poor communities, cause disabling situations in humans.

A sick or disabled person cannot work as much or as well as they would when healthy. They cannot work the garden to get food or earn enough money to buy food and healthy livestock.

Unhealthy livestock produce less food. The result is little food to eat and less food to sell. This leads to less income gains and not enough money to buy medicines or to even pay for proper education and healthy livestock.

Written by Dr Samuel Sewagudde