Tropentag, September 10 - 12, 2025, Bonn "Reconciling land system changes with planetary health"

Camel health management practices and helminth infections in pastoral systems in Ethiopia

¹Addis Ababa University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Dept. of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, Ethiopia
²University of Kassel, Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, Germany

Abstract

Camels have vital contributions to the livelihoods of pastoral communities in Ethiopia, specifically in arid and semi-arid regions, where they provide the households with food, transportation, income and other socio-cultural services. However, their productivity and performance are often significantly reduced by parasitic diseases, particularly helminths, as well as poor health management practices. A baseline survey was conducted among 392 camel pastoralists in Borana and East Shewa zones in Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia, focusing on camel health management practices, followed by a herd monitoring survey during the dry season 2024/25, including fecal examinations of lactating camels (n = 132) and their calves (n = 119) in East Shewa and Borana areas. The results showed a higher prevalence of parasite infections among lactating camels in Borana (85%) compared to East Shewa (53%). A similar trend was observed in camel calves, with prevalence of 78% in Borana and 48% in East Shewa. Among infected camels, most of the dams (69%) and their calves (54%) carried a heavy parasite burden, with fecal egg counts ranging from 850 to 30,000 eggs per gram of feces (EPG) in dams and 900 to 15,000 EPG in calves. The gastrointestinal tract parasite diversity among the 158 positive dams and calves was dominated by Trichostrongylus (81%) and Haemonchus species (77%). Other identified parasites included Trichuris (18%), Ostertagia (13%), Moniezia (18%), and Nematodirus (8.2%), suggesting mixed parasite infections. In both Borana and East Shewa, camels were mostly treated by the herders themselves (81%), followed by the public veterinary service providers (38%) while services by traditional healers (9.6%) was less common. Camels were mostly treated by conventional anthelminthics (98%) and ethnoveterinary medicine was used by some herders (9.6%). The study showed that camels receive suboptimal animal health care with limited access to veterinary services. The study highlights the need for targeted parasite control programmes to enhance camel health and productivity in the study regions.

Keywords: Animal health care, Camels, Helminth infections, Prevalence

Contact Address: Berhanu Wakjira, Addis Ababa University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, Dept. of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, e-mail: berhanu.wakjira25gmail.com