**8. Health**

#### **8.1 Effect of** *P. juliflora* **on human health**

*P. juliflora* thorns are dangerous and inflict pain that is like being bitten by a snake [21]. For instance, among human injuries, 8.4% in Awash Fentale and 5.2% household respondents in Amibara woreda reported that pricked by thorns of *P. juliflora* [83]. Furthermore, the studies also highlighted the complexity of the cause of Anopheles' relationship with invasive alien plants such as *P. juliflora* that increased malaria incidences [53, 90]. These have implications to the production of anopheles insect in thickets of *P. juliflora*, which threated human health in the invaded regions of the country.

#### **8.2 Effect of** *P. juliflora* **on animal health**

Due to the loss of quality pasture lands, thousands of goats have been rendered toothless and died from starvation following teeth loss, which has been decreased

*Effects of the Invasive Alien* Prosopis juliflora *(Sw.) DC and Its Management Options… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108947*

their number [88]. Nevertheless, households in Awash Fentale and Amibara woredas replied that pods/seeds were the most palatable part of *P. juliflora* by animals [83]. Most of them argued that leaf of *P. juliflora* was the most toxic and killed their animals after consumptions [10]. This might be due to a permanent weakening of the ability to digest cellulose in pods and high sugar content of the pod that depresses the rumen bacterial cellulose activity and finally killed the animal. Feeding of *P. juliflora* pods was leading to neurological disorders, toxicity to neurons of cranial nerve nuclei leading to partial anorexia, depression, salivation, twitching, dehydration, and bloody diarrhea, bile duct hyperplasia, renal tubules, and there is rarefaction of lymphoid tissue, chronic and progressive injury to neurons, and causing denervation atrophy [43]. As a result, various plant parts of *P. juliflora* affected animal health and reduced their production in the invaded regions of the country.
