Camel calf morbidity and mortality in low-income settings: Critical risk factors revealed by a cohort investigation in eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

The morbidity and mortality of camel calves remain persistent problems in Ethiopia. This study aims to assess the incidence of camel calf morbidity and mortality and identify its predictors in the Dire Dawa administrative council, eastern Ethiopia. A questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey, along with a longitudinal follow-up study, was conducted on 385 purposively selected households to assess camel calf morbidity and mortality. Descriptive analysis was employed to examine the occurrence of calf morbidity and mortality. Survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curve and parametric proportional hazard regression was used to compute the time-to-event data on morbidity and mortality. The overall calf morbidity and mortality incidence rates (IR) was 75 cases per 100-calf six-months at risk (risk rate of 52.8%) and 16.8 cases per 100-calf six-months at risk (risk rate of 15.5%), respectively. Age, parity, delivery status, and access of colostrum were found to be significant (p < 0.05) predictors of calf morbidity and mortality. The risk of morbidity and mortality was lower in calves that ingest free access colostrum (HR = 0.47), aged over three months (HR = 0.036). The risk of mortality was decreased in normally delivered calves (HR = 0.35), older than three months (HR = 0.21), and free access colostrum ingestion (HR = 0.51). The morbidity and mortality rates reported in this study area are high, posing a substantial threat to herd replacement and overall production. Even though this research was carried out under local production circumstances, the recognized risk factors especially insufficient access to colostrum, age, delivery status, and factors related to the dam reflects the difficulties frequently noted in camel production systems in comparable pastoral environments. Therefore, an urgent improvement in veterinary service delivery, along with targeted awareness programs for camel herders regarding colostrum management and good husbandry practices is required so as to reduce calf losses and boost productivity in similar production systems.