Spatio-temporal patterns and risk factors of foot-and-mouth disease in Malawi between 1957 and 2019

Foot-and-mouth disease is an important livestock disease causing short-term and long-term production losses and hindering local and international trade. To gain access to lucrative foreign markets and also improve local trade, there is a need to employ effective preventive and control strategies.

Although foot-and-mouth disease has been present in Malawi for over 60 years, little knowledge is available concerning the dynamics and drivers of the disease in the country.

Therefore, this modelling study based on retrospective data was conducted to establish the spatio-temporal distribution and determine the risk factors associated with foot-and-mouth disease in Malawi.

The study findings provide insights into the pattern of foot-and-mouth disease occurrence in Malawi that will promote informed decisions for the progressive control of foot-and-mouth disease in the wider southern Africa region.