Rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreak in Nigeria and its economic impacts on rabbit farmers in Kwara state

Abstract

A fatal and rapidly spreading viral disease known as "Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD)" ravaged the rabbit industry recently in Nigeria and had devastating effects. This posed a new threat to the Nigerian rabbit farming business and resulted in significant economic losses. The economic effect of this lethal rabbit disease on Nigerian rabbit farmers is yet to be examined by any study hence, the present study examined the economic impact of RHD on farmers in Kwara State, Nigeria, was examined. The study involved 120 rabbit farmers sampled using a snowballing technique. The description of the farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics and the analysis of the economic loss to rabbit farmers were done using descriptive statistics, while Garrettˈs ranking technique was used to determine the extent of damage to the rabbit farmers by the outbreak. The economic loss analysis revealed that an affected rabbit farmer lost ₦383,600 as a result of the outbreak, and the high mortality rate was identified as the first significant damage experienced by the rabbit farmers and the precursor of other economic losses to the affected farmers. We recommended a continuous extension education on the need for practicing stringent biosecurity to be provided to the farmers.

Keywords

• Rabbit haemorrhagic disease
• Economic loss
• Mortality
• Control
• Rabbit farmers

Nijerya’da tavşan kanamalı hastalık salgını ve Kwara eyaletindeki tavşan çiftçileri üzerindeki ekonomik etkileri

Öz

Ölümcül ve hızla yayılan bir viral hastalık olan Tavşan Kanamalı Hastalığı (RHD), son zamanlarda Nijerya'da tavşan endüstrisini kasıp kavurarak yıkıcı etkileri oldu. Hastalık Nijerya tavşan yetiştiriciliğinde yeni bir tehdit oluşturduğu gibi önemli ekonomik kayıplara neden oldu. Ölümcül tavşan hastalığı RHD'nin Nijeryalı tavşan çiftçileri üzerindeki ekonomik etkisi üzerine herhangi bir çalışmanın olmaması nedeniyle bu çalışmada Nijerya’nın Kwara Eyaletindeki çiftçiler üzerindeki ekonomik etkisini incelenmiştir. Çalışma, bir kartopu tekniği kullanılarak örneklenen 120 tavşan çiftçisini içermiştir. Çiftçilerin sosyoekonomik özelliklerinin tanımı ve tavşan çiftçilerine yönelik ekonomik kaybın analizi tanımlayıcı istatistikler kullanılarak yapılırken, salgının tavşan çiftçilerine verdiği zararın boyutunu belirlemek için Garrett'in sıralama tekniği kullanılmıştır. Ekonomik kayıp analizi, etkilenen bir tavşan çiftçisinin salgın sonucunda 383.600 ₦ kaybettiğini ortaya çıkarırken, yüksek ölüm oranı, tavşan çiftçilerinin yaşadığı ilk önemli hasar ve etkilenen çiftçiler için diğer ekonomik kayıpların habercisi olarak belirlendi. Sonuçta çiftçilere sıkı biyogüvenlik uygulama ihtiyacı konusunda sürekli bir yayım eğitimi verilmesi tavsiye edilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Tavşan kanamalı hastalığı
• Ekonomik kayıp
• Ölüm
• Kontrol
• Tavşan çiftçileri

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