Evaluation of the economic impact of foot-rot and cost-effectiveness of a nation-wide control strategy in the Swiss sheep population (subproject epidemiological modelling)
Contact Person: Salome Dürr
Persons involved: Dana Zingg, Gertraud Schüpbach, Agecon ETH Zurich
Duration: 2015-2016
Foot-rot is a contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals which is caused by the bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus. It affects most notably the claws of sheep and leads to poor performance and reduced welfare of diseased animals. More than half of the organised Swiss shepherds declare that foot-rot is a permanent problem. Legal provisions for the control of the disease only exist in some regions of Switzerland.
Imbedded in the context of a larger project which should measure the possibility to control foot-rot nation-wide in Switzerland, the present study aims to model the impact of different control strategies on prevalence of foot-rot in Switzerland. On the basis of a foot-rot transmission model developed after an outbreak in Norway, we developed a model to simulate the spread of the disease in the Swiss sheep population. The effect of different control strategies will be compared with the currently applied strategy in order to calculate prevalence over time. The outcome of the model will be incorporated in a cost-benefit analysis.
