Assessment of the Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception (KAP) of Sheep Farmers Regarding Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens in Tunisia, North Africa

A questionnaire on the knowledge, attitudes/practices, and perceptions was answered by 86 sheep farmers from Tunisia. The aim was to identify potential gaps in relation to ticks and tick-borne pathogens in order to better design communication tools to raise awareness among farmers. Overall, the majority of the questions on knowledge and perceptions were answered correctly. However, a high proportion of the farmers was not aware of the transmission and vector role of ticks. The questions on attitudes and practices were answered positively by half of the study participants. Especially questions on the removal of ticks (e.g., manually, using acaricides) and the handling of acaricides were quite difficult for the sheep farmers. The results can serve as a guideline for how to implement efficient control measurements.