The educational status and awareness regarding the information, identification and transmission of zoonotic diseases among this high risk group, is critical in controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases. Butchers are critical linkage in the meat production and processing chain at slaughterhouses. Two types of slaughterhouses are operating in the country, organized and unorganized. There are 3600 registered slaughterhouses functioning under local bodies in India, yet the greater part of them is highly ill-managed, unhygienic and congested (Padd and Thind, 2002)10. The state of the butchers is miserable and populace who consume meat from these slaughterhouses, have superior probability of being infected. The awareness of the butchers towards Zoonotic diseases plays an imperative role for the maintenance of life cycle and transmission of these diseases to the different arrays of their hosts. Studying the awareness of the butchers on the risk factors, routes of transmission and life cycle of zoonotic diseases is a decisive step towards the development and implementation of appropriate disease prevention and control …show more content…
Most of the times, meat is supplied by slab slaughterers, the unauthorized ones, having scarce facilities which are typically located on the sides of roads and streets. These shops might be a source of meat-borne diseases and food poisoning among the population as they hardly adhere to any hygienic practices. Ideally, butchers should have a good insight on meat hygiene and fundamental infrastructural facilities should be made available to them. Then only practicing hygienic ways of slaughtering can be anticipated from the butchers.
Improving consciousness among the livestock owners and proper disease diagnostic techniques could abet prevention and control of zoonotic diseases. Consequently, an understanding about awareness and practices of butchers have gained much attention now a days, could be a useful device in developing and improving existing control measures (Swai et al, 201012; Mosalagae et al, 201113).
Hence, a study has been designed to evaluate the educational status of butchers, awareness among the butchers regarding the various zoonotic diseases and their modes of transmission, the effluent treatment methods followed by the butchers in and around Proddatur, YSR Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, INDIA.
METHODOLOGY