By Ivan Tsebeni
The Government has secured another batch of 9.3 million foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccine doses to combat the surge predicted in the months between September and December.
The four months are anticipated to have heavy rains, which usually spark an increase in the spread of the disease.
Dr Robert Mutagwanya, the senior pasture agronomist at the agriculture ministry, said the Government has finalised the procurement processes of the vaccines and more animals will be vaccinated soon.
He explained that the vaccines were secured from four sources, including the Agricultural Research Centre in Egypt, Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health from the UK and the Middle East for Vaccines also in Egypt.
Accordingly, Mutagwanya said the Government is targeting to vaccinate over 80% of the cattle countrywide, noting that 118 districts are already fully covered.
He said the new batch comes at the right time.
“Whereas this season is good for pasture growth, it is accompanied with risks, such as diseases, especially those that affect hooves,” Mutagwanya said.
He made the revelations while addressing journalists at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala, yesterday (Wednesday, September 04).
Speaking at the same event, Fredrick Bwino Kyakulaga, the state minister for agriculture, confirmed the development, noting that it is the role of the Government to help farmers fight the disease.
He commended farmers for consistency, given the persistent challenges they have faced over the previous seasons.
Kyakulaga explained that farmers have suffered from unpredictable weather change patterns, diseases and pests, something he said has caused them huge losses.
He noted that agriculture alone contributes up to 24.1% of the country’s gross development product (GDP), underscoring the need for the sector to be protected.
The FMD broke out in January, leading to a quarantine in 32 districts across Uganda, causing significant distress in the cattle corridor. The affected districts include Luwero, Gomba, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura and Sembabule.
To curb the spread of the disease, the agriculture ministry banned the movement of livestock and livestock products into, out of, or through these districts.
On May 27, the state minister for animal industry, Bright Rwamirama, handed over the first batch of three million doses of FMD vaccines to 27 districts at the National Animal Diseases Diagnostic Epidemiology Centre in Entebbe.
On July 16, the Government received another consignment of three million doses of vaccines from Egypt, bringing the total number of doses delivered to six million then.
Uganda’s total susceptible animal herd requires 44 million doses of FMD vaccines annually, necessitating a bi-annual vaccination programme costing $176m (sh649.9b) per year, according to the agriculture ministry.
The FMD is considered endemic in Uganda, where livestock movements through porous borders and beyond play a key role in the spread of transboundary animal diseases.
Since 1953, when the disease was first confirmed, FMD has occurred as an epidemic in various years and areas.
The long-lasting solution to FMD management is through developing a vaccine.
Dr Justus Rutayisire, the FMD vaccine coordinator at the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), said they are developing a vaccine, but it is still at laboratory level.
He said for the country to access and make use of it will be at the end of the next financial year, 2025/2026. NARO requires sh80b to produce FMD vaccines.
About FMD
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact.
The disease affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.
The organism, which causes FMD, is known as an aphthovirus of the family Picornaviridae.
FMD is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves.
The disease causes severe production losses and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated.
LEAD PHOTO CAPTION: Sheema district animal production officer Nabaasa Joel checking cattle said to be infected with FMD.
