The Minister of State for Animal Industry, Bright Rwamirama on Tuesday 13th August handed over 900,000 vaccine doses to District Veterinary Officers(DVO) of districts that reported outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) and are predominantly communal grazing, and those that are along the livestock transit which makes them at a big risk for the spread of the disease.
While handing over the vaccines at the National Animal Disease Diagnostic and Epidemiology Center (NADDEC) in Entebbe, he continued to warn District Veterinary Officers (DVO) on proper vaccination exercise for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) so that the disease is kicked out of the country as soon as possible.
Hon Rwamirama said that doses are distributed in phases for easy follow-ups and therefore confirmed more deliveries of vaccines in a two-week time that will be equivalent to one million doses.
“We have more than 3 million doses in our stores, but we want to regulate the distribution to make sure that they are done properly, and the DVOs account for every dose they take. We are also very conscious of the cold chain facilities in the districts and their capacity to hold them, so it’s a continuous process,” he added.
The Minister also promised DVOs to short out their payments of the vaccination exercise within the shortest period and therefore encouraged them to work tiresomely, knowing that any time from now, their accounts will be happy soon.
“We agreed that for every vaccine dose, we give out shs 200 for the vaccination exercise. It has been delayed, but we have questioned the DVOs that money is coming maybe today or tomorrow onto their accounts and should not charge the farmers,” he noted.
The Minister also emphasized that the country has no outbreaks, which is good news to the public, and also appealed to the farmers to positively engage in this fight by vaccinating all cattle so that the disease is kicked out of the country in the next six months.
The head of the National Animal Disease Diagnostic and Epidemiology Center (NADDEC), Dr Peter Wanyama, appreciated the ministry for prioritizing the procurement of foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccines and the DVOs that have positively engaged in the vaccination exercise.
In addition, Dr. Wanyama called upon all stakeholders to entrust them with their samples so that they can analyze them very well because they have the capacity associated with the best services comparable to that of Europe.
“Before I conclude, allow me to thank my colleagues, the DVOs who received the first batch of the vaccines and you have been utilizing them very well. Thank you so much, but I also want to challenge you again as you prepare to receive more vaccines Kindly ensure that you deliver them properly,” he remarked.
Dr. Anna Rose Ademun, Commissioner of Animal Health at MAAIF, highlighted that the country is not accessing the international market because of foot and mouth disease and, therefore, urged farmers to positively support the vaccination exercise for the good of both the country and their pockets.
“Foot and mouth disease is a very biggest threat to our market. Right now, we sell meat at an average of 3 dollars in our country, but without FMD, we are looking at a market abroad where we can sell our meat at four times the local price,” she said.
Ademun, therefore, appreciated the government through the MAAIF for focusing on this area, saying, “The government has deliberately put a priority and focus on as much as possible controlling foot and mouth disease through the vaccination system so that we can trade because we can trade with countries that can take our livestock and meat directly.”
About FMD
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a severe, fast-spreading viral disease that primarily affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and deer. It’s one of the most challenging animal diseases to control.
FMD is now considered endemic in Uganda, and efforts to control outbreaks and eventual eradication are underway. The low mortality caused by the disease is a big disincentive to control efforts. The role of small ruminants in FMD epidemiology is not clearly understood.
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