Conference Abstract | Volume 9, Abstract 026 (ConfProc7) | Published: 30 Apr 2026
Perpetual Asantewaa1,2,&, Samuel Dapaa2, Magdalene Akos Odikro2, Patrick Akandi-Agbodzi1, Ekua Essoun Thompson1, Emmanuel Donkor1, Samuel Sackey2
1Veterinary Services Department, Volta Region, Ghana, 2Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme, University of Ghana, School of Public Health, Accra, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Perpetual Asantewaa, Veterinary Services Department, Ho, Ghana, Email: pepasantewaa0019@gmail.com
Received: 18 Aug 2025, Accepted: 28 Oct 2025, Published: 30 Apr 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Animal movement, Cross-border, Data analysis, Ketu South; Ghana
©Perpetual Asantewaa et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Perpetual Asantewaa et al. Putting transboundary animal diseases under control: The role of movement of animals and animal products surveillance, Ketu South Municipal, Volta Region, Ghana, 2020-2024. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfProc7):026. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO7-0026
Cross-border movement of animals and animal products poses risk of transboundary animal diseases (TADs). The movement of animal surveillance system help to identify and prevent movement of disease animal and has the potential of reducing TADs by 40%. We analysed the movement of animals’ secondary data in Ketu South Municipality to examine the distribution of animals and animal products and to evaluate inspection outcomes.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to analyse surveillance data from paper-based inspection certificates on animal and animal-products movement in the Ketu South Municipality from January 2020 to December 2024. Data extracted include origin, point of entry (POE), destination, species/products, quantity and reason/purpose for movement. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies, proportions were used for the analysis.
A total of 262 movements were inspected involving 83,187 animals with 77.5% (64,472) and 21.6% (18,000) being reptiles and day-old chicks respectively. About 10,135 tons of cowhide and 50 boxes of fish products were also moved during the period. Majority of the movements, 91.2% (239/262) originated from Togo. Majority of the movement purposes were not stated, 97.7% (256/262), stated purposes include transit, slaughter and leather works. Aflao border was the POE with highest movement 96.9% (251/259) and Kumasi was the most common destination, 55.0% (144/262). The highest movement was in 2020, 40.5% (105/259).
Most moved animals were reptiles and products were cowhides, with majority originating from Togo. A significant gap was identified in documentation, as most movements lacked stated purposes. Aflao border emerged as the major POE, while Kumasi was the main destination. Peak movement was observed in 2020 highlighting potential trade dynamics influenced by external factors. The surveillance system should be strengthening through digitalized reporting system, training of surveillance officers and enhancing cross-border collaboration to mitigate public health risks.
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