By Bruno Mugizi
The Sheema district foot and mouth disease (FMD) task force has partially lifted the foot and mouth disease quarantine nearly a month after it was instituted to contain the spread.
Agriculture ministry commissioner of animal health Dr Ana Rose Adenum, on February 7, imposed a total quarantine on both livestock and livestock products on Sheema following the outbreak of FMD.
The authorities in the district have since been implementing control measures including the ban on moving and sale of livestock and their products.
According to the statistics from the district veterinary department 569 cattle have been cured of FMD, four are still under treatment while 14 have been confirmed dead.
The revelations came to light during a meeting on march 4, 2024,at the district council hall. The meeting was attended by all LC3 chairpersons, sub-county and town council veterinary officers, livestock products traders and farmers.
Why the lifting
Sheema deputy Resident District Commissioner Sam Orikunda said since the outbreak, they have tried to prevent it from spreading and have not registered any new cases apart from those that had been affected before the ban was imposed.
“We have allowed the partial lifting of quarantine in most sub-counties within the district following the guidelines from the district veterinary department but Bugongi town council will remain under quarantine since they still have many cases of the disease. No movement and sale of livestock and their products is allowed there,” Orikunda said.
Sheema District veterinary officer Dr Amanya Joseph said they have not fully lifted the quarantine and the areas that still have cases are not allowed to do any livestock business.
“We have collaborated with the farmers to install checkpoints with foot baths with disinfectants,increased vigilance and started sensitising farmers with hoofed animals. We hope with introducing these methods we can quickly stop the spread of the disease in the district” Amanya said.
Sheema LC5 chairperson Jemimah Buhanda said they have directed the enforcement team in areas that are still affected to improve surveillance and those that been allowed to open to stick to the guidelines.
An infected animals presents with fever,a drop in milk production a blisters on the mouth and feet, fever and loss of appetite.
Other districts under quarantine
Over 33 districts are under the FMD quarantine instituted by the agriculture ministry with the latest being Buyende.
Buyende district production officer Dr Fredrick Kabbale acknowledged having received the commissioner’s communication, adding that the outbreak features in the greater Kagulu, Bugaya and Nkondo sub-counties.
“We had handled the sporadic pockets (cases), assuming they would be manageable. However, the situation ran out of control and we had to inform the ministry,” Kabbale said during a phone interview with New Vision Online on Monday, March 4, 2024.
About FMD
According to Kabbale, FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that has a significant economic impact.
The symptoms include fever, mouth, hooves and skin sores on the affected animals.
The basic treatment of such an outbreak is isolation, treatment of the symptoms and vaccination of disease-free livestock, according to Kabbale.
