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Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an emerging mosquito-borne viral hemorrhagic fever in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, affecting humans and livestock. For spread of infectious diseases, including RVF, knowledge, attitude and practices play an important role, and the understanding of the influence of behavior is crucial to improve prevention and control efforts. The objective of the study was to assess RVF exposure, in a multiethnic region in Kenya known to experience RVF outbreaks, from the behavior perspective. We investigated how communities in Isiolo County, Kenya were affected, in relation to their knowledge, attitude and practices, by the RVF outbreak of 2006/2007. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 698 households selected randomly from three different ethnic communities. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire regarding knowledge, attitudes and practices that could affect the spread of RVF. In addition, information was collected from the communities regarding the number of humans and livestock affected during the RVF outbreak. This study found that better knowledge about a specific disease does not always translate to better practices to avoid exposure to the disease. However, the high knowledge, attitude and practice score measured as a single index of the Maasai community may explain why they were less affected, compared to other investigated communities (Borana and Turkana), by RVF during the 2006/2007 outbreak. We conclude that RVF exposure in Isiolo County, Kenya during the outbreak was likely determined by the behavioral differences of different resident community groups. We then recommend that strategies to combat RVF should take into consideration behavioral differences among communities., Author summary The Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak of 2006/2007 affected many regions in Kenya in varied degrees. The number of reported human cases and affected livestock herds varied between regions, but the reason for this variation has not been studied. We have investigated knowledge, attitude and practices differences between three ethnic communities in Isiolo County with different experiences of the 2006/2007 RVF outbreak. The pastoralist communities all had a relatively good knowledge regarding RVF, however the necessary preventive measures against RVF were not always practiced and the attitude towards RVF prevention were sometimes not good. When these results were analyzed on a community level, we found that the community with the best attributes had good preventive practices, positive attitude towards RVF prevention with less people and livestock affected by the disease. However, the combination of knowledge, attitude and practices was the determinant of avoiding RVF by the ethnic groups studied. These results indicate that understanding the behavior of the local communities could improve the preventive strategies to mitigate future RVF outbreaks.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral mosquito-borne disease with the potential for global expansion, causes hemorrhagic fever, and has a high case fatality rate in young animals and in humans. Using a cross-sectional community-based study design, we investigated the knowledge, attitudes and practices of people living in small village in Sudan with respect to RVF outbreaks. A special One Health questionnaire was developed to compile data from 235 heads of household concerning their knowledge, attitudes, and practices with regard to controlling RVF. Although the 2007 RVF outbreak in Sudan had negatively affected the participants’ food availability and livestock income, the participants did not fully understand how to identify RVF symptoms and risk factors for both humans and livestock. For example, the participants mistakenly believed that avoiding livestock that had suffered spontaneous abortions was the least important risk factor for RVF. Although the majority noticed an increase in mosquito population during the 2007 RVF outbreak, few used impregnated bed nets as preventive measures. The community was reluctant to notify the authorities about RVF suspicion in livestock, a sentinel for human RVF infection. Almost all the respondents stressed that they would not receive any compensation for their dead livestock if they notified the authorities. In addition, the participants believed that controlling RVF outbreaks was mainly the responsibility of human health authorities rather than veterinary authorities. The majority of the participants were aware that RVF could spread from one region to another within the country. Participants received most their information about RVF from social networks and the mass media, rather than the health system or veterinarians. Because the perceived role of the community in controlling RVF was fragmented, the probability of RVF spread increased., Author summary Rift Valley fever (RVF), is a neglected, emerging, mosquito-borne disease that has caused outbreaks in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. RVF outbreaks have a severe negative impact on livestock, human health and economy, placing further demands on communities already experiencing high levels of poverty. We believe there is an immediate need to develop new approaches that will tackle the ongoing spread of RVF. One such approach would prioritize outbreak prevention by involving local communities in the surveillance of emerging zoonotic diseases, empowering local communities as agents of change rather than relegating them as passive victims. RVF is a disease with global implication, but it starts at a local level. Therefore, to control zoonotic disease such as RVF, it is important to understand the local communities’ knowledge, attitudes and practices related to RVF. Using a bottom-up perspective, we investigated the factors that keep the local community from participating in the control of RVF outbreaks at the interface between humans, animals, and the environment. By devising acceptable and cost-effective interventions, we believe local communities can be encouraged to be the first line of defense against RVF outbreaks. Furthermore, policies aimed at curtailing RVF outbreaks would benefit from involvement of the local communities.

The effects of climate change have highly challenged the productivity of the agricultural sector. The increasing temperatures and erratic rains, as well as diseases and pests have significantly reduced crop yields in the arid and semi-arid regions of Kenya. Though climate change has been the talk of the day, many farmers in the grassroots have hardly adopted any response options and have continued to suffer losses from the inherent effects of climate change. The present study sought to assess the perceptions of small scale farmers on climate change in selected villages in Kitui County and identify adaptation measures adopted by the farmers in response to climate change. Descriptive survey design was used. A total of 177 households were randomly selected to constitute the study sample. Data was coded and analyzed using SPSS version 20. The results showed that most farmers had perceived a changing climate with 74% and 100% of the respondents in Kaveta and Mikuyuni villages respectively, reporting an increase in temperature over the years. Regarding precipitation, 100% and 97% of the respondents in Mikuyuni and Kaveta villages respectively, had noticed a decrease in the average annual rainfall over the last two decades. Further, the results indicated that 76% and 88% of the respondents in Kaveta and Mikuyuni villages respectively had adopted various adaptation options in response to the decreasing rainfall and the unpredictable onset of rains. The study established that farmers in drier areas perceived climate change more and had adapted more to climate change and variability as compared to those in wetter areas. More resources in terms of credit facilities, access to climate change information and extension services should be availed to farmers in areas affected more by climate change and variability to increase their resilience.