• The new dairy policies will reduce low-income households consumption of milk. • The increase in milk price will decrease milk allocation and consumption by infants. • Households revealed decisions making are close to the best-worst experiment results. • Infants food substitutes to milk are generally of lower nutritional value.

Universities and colleges are often regarded as playing a key role in educating veterinarians and animal health workers who advise farmers on herd health and animal husbandry. However, to date, studies examining veterinary students’ knowledge of zoonotic diseases of public health importance and the source of this knowledge, as well as their preparedness to respond to these diseases, have focused on the Global North rather than the Global South. This study takes Ethiopia as a case study in exploring veterinary medicine students’ knowledge of zoonosis risks, infection control practices and biosecurity measures, recognizing that it is imperative to reconcile national-level veterinary education curricula with emerging global trends, such as One Health-focused training. This training advocates for a collaborative, interdisciplinary response at local, national, and international levels to the adverse impact of zoonotic diseases on animal health and productivity, and human and environmental health. Data for this study were collected through a pre-tested online questionnaire administered to 154 veterinary students from several universities in Ethiopia. The findings of this study suggest veterinary students were aware of the public health risks posed by zoonoses and the important role that collaboration between the disciplines of human and animal health can play in addressing zoonoses and emerging health risks. However, students demonstrated poor knowledge of the need to adopt infection control measures (ICPs) and biosecurity measures to reduce occupational risks and prevent within and between herd transmission of infection. Moreover, students’ vaccination rates against zoonotic diseases associated with occupational risks, such as rabies, were low. The results of this study suggest that there are currently gaps in Ethiopia’s veterinary curriculum and that enhancing veterinary students’ access to information regarding infection control practices and biosecurity measures could contribute to reducing their future occupational exposure to zoonoses. This study highlights the policy implications of the current veterinary medicine curriculum in Ethiopia and the scope for aligning the curriculum with important global initiatives, such as One Health-focused training.

Milk plays an important role in the growth and development of children. In Kenya, it is one of the most produced and consumed animal-sourced foods, but often consumed in small amounts among children of low-income families, especially in urban settings. The aim of the study was to identify household milk purchase and consumption patterns of milk, with emphasis on young children, as well as estimate key determinants of such patterns to identify areas of leverage to increase milk consumption. Results showed that 98% of households purchased unprocessed fresh milk at least once during the 7 days prior to the survey, while only 17% purchased packed pasteurized milk. Findings from the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model of purchase behavior suggest that the amount of unpacked milk purchased by households is positively and significantly related to household income, the number of children below the age of 4, and the budget of animal-sourced food. The price and quantities of pasteurized milk purchased were negatively related to the amount of unpacked milk purchased. Consumption patterns for children below the age of 4 showed that milk and dairy products are most commonly consumed as part of dishes than as individual products. Informal markets played a key role in meeting the milk needs of children, but consumption was below recommended amounts. The clear association of income and milk intake calls for efforts from the government to support the dairy sector with policies that promote the availability and affordability of milk, especially for a sector that feeds low-income families, as it is the case with the informal dairy markets.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had large negative effects on countries' economies and individual well-being throughout the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Pandemic-related changes in behavior and government restrictions in Kenya may have negatively affected food supply chains and household food access; however, the empirical evidence is currently limited. The study explored changes in informal milk markets, dairy consumption, and food insecurity among low-income households in urban and periurban Nairobi, Kenya, following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Baseline data on milk sales and consumption were collected in late 2019 from dairy vendors operating in the informal sector and their dairy customers. We conducted 2 longitudinal telephone surveys with the same study participants in July and September-October 2020, respectively. At the first follow-up, the volume of milk sold by informal vendors had dropped by 30% compared with their baseline level, and the volume of milk from informal markets consumed by households decreased by 23%. By the second follow-up, the volume of milk sold and consumed had recovered somewhat but remained lower than the volume observed 1 y prior in the same season. Large reductions in the consumption of other animal-sourced products were also observed. The rate of food insecurity increased by 16 and 11 percentage points in the first and second follow-up periods, respectively, compared with baseline. The evidence, therefore, suggests that the timing of the pandemic and the related restrictions were associated with a decrease in the supply and consumption of milk from informal markets in Nairobi and a decrease in the food security of periurban consumers.