Are current practices of yak herdsmen adequate to combat Coenurosis in Laya Bhutan?

BACKGROUND: Coenurosis, known commonly as gid, is caused by a tapeworm Taenia multiceps. It is a disease of small ruminants globally but also occurs in large ruminants, especially in yak in the Himalaya. Gid is a pathological condition in young yaks, mostly below 3 years of age. The infected animal displays a circling movement with the head tilting towards the location of the cyst of a tapeworm on the cerebral surface of the brain. OBJECTIVE: We conducted a study with the primary aim to gain an insight into yak herdsmen's practices to manage Coenurosis in the Laya administrative block of Bhutan. METHODS: All seven villages of Laya were included for sampling. Seventy-five out of 182 households owned yaks, and 54 yak-owning households were selected randomly. The government livestock officials of nine yak-rearing highland districts were also included in the study. A cross-sectional study was conducted based on a questionnaire survey and focussed mainly on herdsmen's practices to manage gid. Two sets of questionnaires were used for yak herders and livestock officials. Each predesigned questionnaire was semi-structured and consisted of both open- and closed-ended questions. RESULTS: The study revealed gid as a major cause of yak mortality. Gid occurred more in winter during migration and most herders lost one to three yaks annually. Herdsmen kept an average of two watchdogs and dewormed them once annually. Similarly, calves were also dewormed once annually. The carcasses of dead yaks were fed to dogs. Livestock officials were optimistic about controlling the disease in the future, despite the yak areas being difficult to access. Most herders had not attended the gid awareness programme. The animal health worker visited herds once annually. In absence of animal health workers, most herdsmen resorted to different practices to treat affected yaks -the most common practice being surgery. Gid was mentioned to harm herdsmen's economy. CONCLUSIONS: The study concluded that for effective management of gid in Laya, livestock agencies must create more awareness on gid, increase the frequency of visits by animal health workers to yak herds, and increase the frequency of deworming of watchdogs and calves.

Policy and governance to address depression and suicide in Bhutan: The national suicide-prevention strategy.

Suicide and mental disorders are a growing public health issue in Bhutan, due in part to a rapidly transitioning society. The burden of suicide has been recognized by the Royal Government of Bhutan and, as a result, it introduced the country's first ever national suicide-prevention plan in 2015. The 3-year action plan takes a holistic approach to making suicide-prevention services a top social priority, through strengthening suicide-prevention policies, promoting socially protective measures, mitigating risk factors and reaching out to individuals who are at risk of suicide or affected by incidents of suicide. This article documents Bhutan's policy and governance for addressing depression and suicide within the context of its national suicide-prevention strategy, examines progress and highlights lessons for future directions in suicide prevention. Since the endorsement of the 3-year action plan by the prime minister's cabinet, the implementation of suicide-prevention measures has been accelerated through a high-level national steering committee. Activities include suicide-prevention actions by sectors such as health, education, monastic communities and police; building capacity of gatekeepers; and improving the suicide information system to inform policies and decision-making. Suicide-prevention activities have become the responsibility of local governments, paving the way for suicide prevention as an integral mandate across sectors and at grass-root levels in the Kingdom of Bhutan.