By Joshua Kato
If Foot and Mouth Diseases (FMD) was a guerrilla army engaged in a war of attrition against government forces, then they would have captured power last week! Early last week, the dreaded disease finally ‘captured’ Kampala.
The menace has continued to ravage most of the cattle corridor districts. Throughout January and February, most of the districts in western Uganda were under quarantine due to FMD, which affects not just beef, but also milk production.
At the beginning of March, a case was discovered on the outskirts of Kampala. The disease affects cattle, goats, sheep and pigs, among others.
In Uganda, the livestock population stands at 15.8 million heads of cattle, 16 million goats, 5.4 million sheep and five million pigs.
But the FMD also affects the related cloven (two) hooved wild animals, such as buffaloes, antelopes and wild pigs.
FMD control is complex and needs a lot of resources; human, structural, consumables and financial to control the disease. This is why the Government must come up with strong measures to deal with this menace.
Of course vaccination is key to stopping FMD, but why are Government efforts to vaccinate cattle not yielding faster results?
There is also need for cattle keepers to support Government in efforts to fight FMD. Those who have the means must vaccinate regularly and those who cannot seek immediate assistance from authorities.
