Investigating awareness and preventive practices related to zoonotic diseases inpoultry workers

Background and objective: Emerging zoonotic diseases are of increasing regional and global importance.Poultry workers are at risk of becoming infected with these diseases. Preventing occupational exposure tozoonotic diseases protects workers as well as their families, communities, and the public health. The mainobjective of this study was to assess the awareness and preventive practices related to zoonotic diseases.Methods: This study is a across–sectional study conducted for a period of four months starting on ۲۵ May till۲۵ September ۲۰۲۳ among poultry workers in the North of Iran. The questionnaire was designed to obtaininformation on awareness and preventive practices about zoonotic diseases among poultry farm workers andslaughterhouse workers. Data was analyzed in the SPSS version ۲۶.Result: The mean age for poultry farm workers was ۳۲.۸۴±۸.۲۱ and ۳۱.۳۵±۹.۸۱ for slaughterhouse workers.۹۰.۸% (n =۲۲۷) of the respondents had a formal education and ۸۱.۲% (n =۲۰۳) had worked on the farm for morethan ۱ year. Out of the ۲۵۰ respondents only ۳۶.۴% (n =۹۱) were having some awareness about zoonoticdiseases. The level of respondents preventive practices were identified acceptable in this study.Conclusion: The respondents poor awareness make them as a vulnerable group to expose the zoonotic diseases.Bringing awareness among the poultry workers about the threat of zoonotic diseases, their modes oftransmission, prevention and control measures should be considered as most important protecting interventions.

Keywords:

awareness , preventive practices , zoonotic diseases , poultry workers