Abstract East Coast fever (ECF), caused by a protozoon and transmitted by ticks, is the most critical cattle disease in Eastern and Southern Africa. Farmers have used the Infection and Treatment Method (ITM) to control ECF in Kenya since 2012. Yet, the differences in terms of perceptions and benefits accrued between men and women remain unclear. This study sought to understand how men and women perceive ITM effectiveness and to evaluate its impact on their livelihoods. The study included 29 gender-disaggregated focus group discussions with cattle keepers, the transcripts of which were subjected to systematic text analysis. This analysis indicates that women are highlighting the cost of the vaccine and inadequate awareness as the main obstacles to ITM adoption, while men describe the package size of 40 doses as the greatest constraint. Women benefit from increased milk sales resulting from growing herds and shifts to dairy breeds, but their workload increases with more animals to manage. Men benefit from additional cattle sales and extend their involvement in milking and controlling milk sales. The results demonstrate that vaccinating with ITM has the potential to transform the livelihoods of cattle keepers. However, appropriate gender-sensitive strategies should be put in place to enable both men and women to benefit from the vaccine while avoiding increases in women's workload and intra-household gender competition.

中文翻译：

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在肯尼亚控制东海岸热病中使用感染和治疗方法：性别对收养和影响是否重要？

摘要 东海岸热 (ECF) 由原生动物引起并通过蜱传播，是东部和南部非洲最严重的牛病。自 2012 年以来，肯尼亚的农民就使用感染和治疗方法 (ITM) 来控制 ECF。然而，男性和女性在观念和收益方面的差异仍不清楚。本研究旨在了解男性和女性如何看待 ITM 的有效性并评估其对其生计的影响。该研究包括与养牛者进行的 29 次按性别分类的焦点小组讨论，对讨论的记录进行了系统的文本分析。该分析表明，女性强调疫苗的成本和意识不足是采用 ITM 的主要障碍，而男性则将 40 剂的包装尺寸描述为最大的限制。妇女受益于牛群增加和奶牛品种转变导致的牛奶销量增加，但随着需要管理的动物数量增加，她们的工作量也会增加。男性从额外的牛销售中受益，并扩大他们对挤奶和控制牛奶销售的参与。结果表明，接种 ITM 疫苗有可能改变养牛者的生计。然而，应制定适当的性别敏感战略，使男性和女性都能从疫苗中受益，同时避免增加女性的工作量和家庭内部的性别竞争。结果表明，接种 ITM 疫苗有可能改变养牛者的生计。然而，应制定适当的性别敏感战略，使男性和女性都能从疫苗中受益，同时避免增加女性的工作量和家庭内部的性别竞争。结果表明，接种 ITM 疫苗有可能改变养牛者的生计。然而，应制定适当的性别敏感战略，使男性和女性都能从疫苗中受益，同时避免增加女性的工作量和家庭内部的性别竞争。