2.3. Participatory epidemiology methods

Longitudinal study design Between April 2012 and March 2013 data on endemic diseases of pastoral cattle was collected using participatory diagnosis and epidemiology methods. This included ranking, case histories, in-depth semi-structured interviews and key informant interviews. Interviews were conducted with herders in selected households and key informants amongst local vets and para-veterinarians. During the interviews, respondents were asked to list and rank the six most important diseases of local cattle and describe the clinical signs of these diseases. In addition, pastoralists were asked to list the number of cases, deaths and treatments used for each disease over the past 12 months. Interviews were conducted in Hausa.