Project overview:

The incidence of human brucellosis rose at an alarming rate in the late 1990s and remains a major public health challenge across Tajikistan. The project developed a cost-sharing scheme with local farmers to ensure sustainable financing for the vaccination of cattle and small ruminants.

Brucellosis is a frequently seen zoonotic disease in livestock and humans, and results in losses of young stock, affecting the livelihoods of rural people. National authorities in Tajikistan have engaged in vaccination campaign to control brucellosis and have succeeded in reducing infection rates in animals by 80 percent since 2004.

The project delivered nearly 648 000 vaccine doses to 50 000 households in eight districts in the Rasht Valley and Nurek, and trained animal owners in various methods to reduce the risk of brucellosis infection.

The cost of the vaccination scheme was shared between those receiving the vaccinations and the authorities to ensure the financial sustainability of the scheme. Cost-sharing and its benefits were explained to the farmers in eight training sessions organized in the project districts.

Key results of the project:

• About 648 000 doses of brucellosis vaccine were administered to sheep and goats.
• Lower levels of brucellosis were achieved by providing vaccines under the project.
• 20 000 samples were collected from all districts of Tajikistan to monitor the levels of brucellosis.
• Data and information on registered cases of brucellosis were collected from the National Centre of Veterinary Diagnostic for sampling.
• Survey results showed that the prevalence of brucellosis had fallen by 0.2 percent in the target districts by the end of the project.
• Ministry of Health case control data highlighted continued falls in the incidence of cases of human brucellosis.
• In the target districts, the incidence of human brucellosis in the last six months of 2013 fell from 208 to 185 cases, as compared to the last six months of 2012.