Epidemiological Study on Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Cattle: Prevalence and Risk Factor Assessment in Rajasthan, Bangladesh

An epidemiological study was conducted in Rajshahi, between July 2010 and February 2011 with the objective of determining the prevalence of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in cattle and identifying the potential risk factors associated with the disease. In total, 347 skin diseased cattle were examined in the Veterinary Clinic of the University of Rajshahi. Among them, 154 were males and 193 were females. The overall prevalence of FMD in Rajshahi was found to be 25.07% (n=87). From the various risk factors analysed, age categories of animal, farming system, sex, breed and seasonal influence were found to be significantly associated (p<0.01) with the prevalence of FMD. Findings suggested that the seasonal influence on outbreaks of this disease was significantly higher. The clinical prevalence of FMD was highest in the month of November (35.59%) and December (37.14%). The influence of sex on FMD outbreaks was estimated to be significantly (p<0.01) higher in male than female cattle. As regards to age, FMD was significantly (p<0.01) higher in old (36.53%) compared to adult (22.22%) and young (8.08%). Given the high prevalence (41.46%) of FMD in indigenous breeds, it is advisable to establish appropriate FMD control measures in cattle.