Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 13 | Published: 05 Oct 2026
Paul Mulopa1,2,3, &, Humphrey Banda1,3, Mathews Sichalwe1,3,4, Liywalii Maata3, George Dautu3, Dabwitso Banda1, Nyambe Sinyange1, Fusya Goma3, Warren Malambo5, Taona Sinyawa3, Jeff Mugoba2, Nawa Mukumbuta2
1Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program, Lusaka, Zambia, 2Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, School of Public Health and Environmental Studies, Lusaka, Zambia, 3Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, Department of Veterinary Services, Lusaka, Zambia, 4University of Zambia, School of Public Health, Lusaka, Zambia, 5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lusaka, Zambia
&Corresponding author: Paul Mulopa, Zambia Field Epidemiology Training Program, Lusaka, Zambia, Email: mulopapaul22@yahoo.com, ORCID: https://orcid.org/00090001615805126
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 28 Aug 2026, Published: 05 Oct 2026
Domain: Antimicrobial Resistance
Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance, poultry production, non-prescription procurement, antimicrobial stewardship, One Health
©Paul Mulopa 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: Paul Mulopa et al., Factors associated with non-prescription antibiotic use among small and medium scale poultry farmers in selected districts of Zambia from 2022 to 2025. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):13. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0013
Inappropriate antibiotic use in Zambia’s expanding poultry sector contributes to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing a threat to animal, human and environmental health. This study identified factors associated with non-prescription antibiotic use among small and medium scale poultry farmers in selected districts.
We analyzed routine poultry AMR surveillance data collected between 2022 and 2025 from CVRI’s Epicollect5 database. Prevalence was calculated by aggregating affirmative responses at provincial, district and veterinary camp levels. Spatial distributions were mapped via choropleth visualization in QGIS v3.22.10. Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted in RStudio v4.5 (p ≤ 0.05).
Overall non-prescription antibiotic use prevalence was 58.2% (177/304). Usage was highest in Choma district, with Chipata and Mongu in high use, Chilanga and Solwezi in moderate usage tiers and specific veterinary camps reporting elevated frequencies. Multivariable regression revealed that female farmers had over double the odds of use (aOR = 2.16; 95% CI: 1.24-3.76; p = 0.006) compared to males and manager role increased likelihood (aOR = 2.54; 95% CI: 1.16-5.59; p = 0.020). Small-scale farmers exhibited significantly higher odds than medium-scale counterparts (aOR = 7.06; 95% CI: 2.59-19.25; p < 0.001). Additional factors included regular use of non-antibiotic farm products (aOR = 1.73; 95% CI: 1.03-2.91; p = 0.038) and unawareness of drug withdrawal periods (aOR = 1.97; 95% CI: 1.02-3.81; p = 0.044). Compared to 2022, decreased use was observed in 2023 (aOR = 0.41; p = 0.029) and 2024 (aOR = 0.33; p = 0.002).
Non-prescription antibiotic use is highly prevalent among poultry farmers in Zambia. Key independent risk factors include female gender, small production scale, manager role, non-antibiotic product use and withdrawal unawareness. Targeted interventions must strengthen veterinary extension services, enhance camp-level diagnostics, improve farmer education and reinforce antimicrobial stewardship.
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