| dc.description.abstract | Malignant Catarhal Fever (MCF), caused by a virus transmitted from asymptomatic wildebeest, is a lethal disease
in cattle that threatens livestock-based livelihoods and food security in many areas of Africa. Many herd owners
reduce transmission risks by moving cattle away from infection hot-spots, but this imposes considerable eco-
nomic burdens on their households. The advent of a partially-protective vaccine for cattle opens up new options
for disease prevention. In a study of pastoral households in northern Tanzania, we use stated preference choice
modelling to investigate how pastoralists would likely respond to the availability of such a vaccine. We show a
high probability of likely vaccine uptake by herd owners, declining at higher vaccine costs. Acceptance increases
with more efficaceous vaccines, in situations where vaccinated cattle are ear-tagged, and where vaccine is
delivered through private vets. Through analysis of Normalized Density Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, we show
that the reported MCF incidence over 5 years is highest in areas where the mean and interannual varibility in
vegetative greeness is relatively low and where herds sizes are smaller. Trends towards lower rainfall and greater
landscape-level constraints on cattle movement suggest that MCF avoidance through traditional movement away
from wildebeest will become more challenging and that demand for an MCF vaccine will likely increase. | en_US |
