MBARARA, July 25, 2024 – To prevent the reoccurrence of foot and mouth disease [ FMD ], government has launched mass vaccination of livestock in Mbarara City, and neighbouring cattle corridor districts of Kiruhura, Mbarara, Isingiro, Sembabule, and Lyantonde.
According to Mbarara City Veterinary Officer, Dr. Moses Amanyire, the city received 15,000 doses of FMD vaccines for vaccination of the animals.
“For some good months we have had an outbreak of FMD not only in Mbarara City and the neighbouring districts, and this has had so many effects on the livelihoods of people and the health of these animals. We are happy that as Mbarara City, we received so far 15,000 doses of FMD to be able to contain the disease in the area,” explained Amanyire.
However, he said the vaccines delivered are not enough compared to the livestock in the city, thus asking the Agriculture ministry to consider delivering more vaccines to treat more animals. “We have an estimated number of close to 30,000 livestock which means we still have a deficit in terms of the FMD vaccines received,” Amanyire said.
He added that the animals prone to FMD that ware those with split hooves such as cattle, pigs, and goats among others.
According Amanyire, the FMD vaccination programme will be conducted twice a year to prevent FMD escalation in the country.
“We will have bi-annual vaccination of to guarantee protection because the vaccine takes only six months and beyond that, the animal can be susceptible to the FMD disease again,” he said.
He said that the vaccines would benefit livestock farmers that possess national identity cards.
“All livestock farmers registered with national IDs are the ones to benefit from this. To effect this, each farmer we visit we have to take his details and also to take the GPS coordinates to clearly identify the farmers to avoid double vaccination and for issues of accountability and traceability,” Amanyire said.
However, he decried the low staffing gap in the veterinary department, calling upon the local government ministry to reconsider employing more staff in the local government structure system for better service delivery.
Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi, Mayor Mbarara City urged the farmers to ensure that their animals get vaccinated, saying this would enhance production of milk, beef and other related products.
He urged the locals to always trust government when it promises to do certain things for them. “I have always told people that government programmes can delay but they come. Therefore, I take this honour to launch the mass FMD vaccination in Mbarara City. And I call upon all the farmers make sure that all their cattle are vaccinated,” he said.
He urged the veterinary officers to ensure that all the targeted animals in the city are vaccinated against the FMD that has in the past made authorities to impose quarantines that led to loss of business and revenue from the livestock subsector
On his part, Geoffrey Nuwagira, a cattle farmer in Mbarara City North Division also said the mass vaccination in the area is a restoration of hope for the livestock farmers.
“FMD affects our cattle, especially Friesian cattle. But I thank government to have come up with FMD vaccine and as farmers I believe we are going to do well in as far as animal production is concerned,” said Nuwagira.
In January, 2024, cases of FMD in Mbarara City were highly reported in areas of Bununsya ward [three farms], Rwemigina ward [four farms], Rwenjeru [three farms], Nyarubanga [seven farms], Ruti ward [three farms] and Rwakishakizi had three three farms affected.
https://thecooperator.news/serere-over-50000-cows-to-be-vaccinated-against-fmd/
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