Abstract for: The Drivers of Brucellosis Transmission in Jordan

Background: Brucellosis is a contagious widely spread disease distributed worldwide. Annually, 500,000 cases of brucellosis are reported. In Jordan, a high burden of brucellosis is established in livestock and human, as the infection pattern is noticeably increasing. Conventional methodologies were limited to capture the brucellosis dynamics. Methods and Aim: System dynamics approach has been employed to understand the dynamic drivers of brucellosis transmission in Jordan and suggest new scenarios aid in brucellosis control. Mixed methods and Semi-structured in-depth interviews with relevant stakeholders were conducted. Results: Causal loop diagram and a system dynamics model have been developed. Local livestock markets trade, slaughtering suspicious livestock by farmers and farmers’ visits to veterinary clinics are found major parts that drive brucellosis transmission dynamics in Jordan. The newly adopted vaccination strategy by itself might not be efficient to control brucellosis. Conclusion: As a complex public health issue, brucellosis control requires a holistic approach and strategy to tackle its dynamics, since the conventional approaches were limited to address this dynamic complexity. This work has provided a generous rich causal map and model along with several scenarios to control brucellosis that can be communicated to public health authorities for better strategy and policy implementations.