Living with Bats: The Case of Ve Golokuati Township in the Volta Region of Ghana

Date
2017-07-25Author
S. Ayivor, Jesse
Ohemeng, Fidelia
Tweneboah Lawson, Elaine
Waldman, Linda
Leach, Melissa
Ntiamoa-Baidu, Yaa
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Abstract
Transmission of zoonotic pathogens from bats to humans through direct and indirect contact with bats raises public apprehension about living close to bats. In the township of Ve Golokuati in Ghana, several “camps” of Epomophorus gambianus roost in fruit trees that provide ecosystems services for residents. This study explored human-bat interaction in the township and the potential risks of disease transmission from bats to humans. Data were derived through questionnaire administration and participatory appraisal approach involving focus group discussions, participatory landscape mapping, and transect walk. The study found that most human activities within the township, such as petty-trading, domestic chores, and children’s outdoor recreation, exposed people to bats. Though there have been no reported cases of disease spillover from bats to humans from the perspective of residents and from medical records, respondents whose activities brought them closer to bats within the township were found to be more likely to experience fevers than those who do not interact with bats frequently. The study recommends education of community members about the potential risks involved in human-bat interactions and makes suggestions for reducing the frequent interactions with and exposure to bats by humans.
Citation
Jesse S. Ayivor, Fidelia Ohemeng, Elaine Tweneboah Lawson, Linda Waldman, Melissa Leach, and Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu, “Living with Bats: The Case of Ve Golokuati Township in the Volta Region of Ghana,” Journal of Environmental and Public Health, vol. 2017, Article ID 5938934, 11 pages, 2017.DOI
10.1155/2017/5938934Is part of series
Journal of Environmental and Public Health;2017Rights holder
HindawiRights details
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Copyright © 2017 Jesse S. Ayivor et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.