Assessment of Safety and Hygiene Measures about the Slaughtering System of Slaughterhouses with Regard to the Human Brucellosis

This study provides a confirmation of the need to adopt the HACCP method (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) in slaughterhouses as a tool to eradicate the Human Brucellosis. Indeed this assessment made in our study is an indirect indicator for the presence of the disease in a country on one hand, but also about the transmission risk of the disease from animals to humans in a professional context at high risk, and secondarily to the general population by food consumption. Slaughterhouses are the most propitious places for the transmission of this disease to humans and also the point spread of this zoonosis seen as a biological danger to the population. The general objective of this study made at the Slaughterhouse of the Bertoua city (East Region of Cameroon) was to evaluate the errors related to the professional activity of slaughterhouse workers with regard of the Human Brucellosis, in a context where the application of the HACCP method is not respected. Its specific objectives were to detect the presence of the Human brucellosis in that slaughterhouse, to determine its prevalence among slaughterhouse workers and to make them more aware about the existence of this zoonosis. We included in our study, all slaughterhouse workers from the city of Bertoua, who signed the informed consent form for the participation in the study, and also the absent staff due to illness. We excluded from our study any slaughterhouse workers absent at the time of data collection and reported to be in good health by their colleagues. At the end of this study, we found a prevalence of 31.4% for human brucellosis cases due to a bad slaughtering system which did not comply with the safety and hygiene measures in force. Professional exposure was related to the failure to use individual protection equipments (boots, aprons, goggles, bibs, gloves and helmet) and collective protection equipments (disinfectants/antiseptic and slaughterhouse toilets). The Biological signs related to the Human Brucellosis found among sick slaughterhouse workers hospitalized in different health care structures from the city were: neutropenia associated with an increase of ESR, CRP and transaminases. The most frequent symptoms noticed among them were: asthenia, fever, generalized pain and headache.