Environmental Conditions of Abattoirs and Slaughter Sites and Perceived Risk of Zoonoses in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.

2 Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.

3 Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

4 Department of Clinical Microbiology, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

Abstract

Abattoirs and slaughter sites are integral to the food production cycle; hence, their environmental factors and hygiene status must be optimal to produce wholesome meat for human consumption. These facilities face numerous challenges, including poor waste disposal, inadequate hygiene and sanitary facilities, and the spread of infections.This study assessed the environmental conditions of abattoir and slaughter sites and the risk of zoonotic diseases in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. A cross-sectional descriptive research study was utilized to carry out this study. A total of 245 abattoir and slaughter site workers in the Tamale Metropolis were included in this study. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to compare the variables in this study, and statistical significance was computed at a p-value <0.05. The study found that dumping animal waste on the environment was the most practiced method of waste disposal at both the abattoir and slaughter sites. About 86.44% of respondents at the abattoir indicated adequate hygiene and sanitary facilities available compared to 26.47% at the slaughter sites (p-value <0.001). Toilet facilities were likelier to be present at the abattoir than at the slaughter sites (p-value < 0.001). The abattoir was more likely to have availability of portable water than the slaughter site (p-value < 0.001). Each worker had had at least an episode of zoonotic disease-related symptoms during their operations. Coughing (p-value=0.002) and vomiting (p-value=0.019) were more common among the abattoir workers than those at the slaughter sites. The study revealed generally poor animal waste disposal at both the abattoir and the slaughter sites. It also found that the slaughter sites had inadequate hygiene and sanitary facilities. There was a marginally higher occurrence of perceived zoonotic disease-related symptoms at the abattoir, particularly cough and vomiting, than at the slaughter site. This is attributed to the enclosed nature of the abattoir compared to the slaughter sites, which are open to the environment.

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References

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History

  • Receive Date: 10 January 2025
  • Revise Date: 13 February 2025
  • Accept Date: 16 February 2025

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