ABSTRACT
Animal disease reporting in Nigeria is inefficient and characterized by late, inaccurate and gross under-reporting. Recently, most states of the country under reported and show a general inconsistency in disease reporting. However, there is dearth of documented information on the reasons for the observed inefficiency in Nigeria's animal disease reporting system. The aim of this study is to determine the factors influencing animal disease reporting in Borno and Gombe states, north eastern Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was used to obtain information from 40 disease reporting officers in Borno and Gombe states between March and April 2012. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on socio-demographics of disease reporting officers, availability of reporting forms, knowledge of reporting forms and procedure, completeness and timeliness of reporting and feedback between levels of reporting. Frequencies and proportions were computed. Unsatisfactory knowledge of reporting forms and procedure (OR = 20.08, CI = 2.15 - 494.94) and poor problem solving initiative (OR = 252, CI = 35912.05) were found to have a statistically significant association with disease reporting performance. This study has shown that efficient disease reporting has more to do with personnel knowing exactly what they are supposed to do, their attitude in terms of commitment and attachment to their work, and their ability to take proactive measures in the face of difficulties. Measures should be taken to build the knowledge of disease reporting personnel on disease reporting procedures. Training content and methodology should be reviewed to emphasize acquiring practical competence through on the job learning. Disease reporting personnel should be encouraged to be more dedicated to their work through the provision of necessary incentives and enabling work environment. Adequate supportive supervision mechanism should be put in place to check staff performance, take corrective actions and provide on the job capacity building for disease reporting officers. Key words: factors, animal disease reporting, north eastern Nigeria.