Nwoya Suspects To Be Invaded By Tsetse Flies
NWOYA – Tsetse flies have reportedly invaded Nwoya District as livestock farmers turn to burnt oil to protect animals from the invasion.
The flies have invaded the two Sub Counties of Koch Goma and Lii for the last three weeks which has reportedly affected more than 2,000 herds of cattle in the area.
The flies, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) affects both animals and humans which causes Nagana in cattle and sleeping sickness in humans which is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Bosco Cankara, a livestock farmer in Agonga Parish from Koch Goma Sub County says he was unable to take his cattle for grazing since the area was highly infested with the flies.
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Cankara explained that the deadly attack on the animals occurs in the morning and evening hours which has forced the farmers in the areas to protect their animals using burnt oil.
However, he noted that oil protects the animals for less than 20 minutes from the bite, a situation he described as burdensome which forced him to sell off three of his cows.
Patrick Kinyera, the Local Council II for Agonga Parish has acknowledged the problem in the area adding that he equally had 7 of his cows facing a similar challenge.
Emanuel Okwir, the District Veterinary Officer (DVO) for Nwoya has confirmed the incident but declined to provide details on the phenomenon.
Emmanuel Orach, the Nwoya District Chairman disclosed in a recent interview with theCooperator that the district has written to the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Industry about the problem.
When contacted, Charlotte Kemigyisha, the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Industry says the team will visit the area early next week to assess the situation.
The pandemic according to the World Health Organization had badly hit Sub Saharan Africa in 1998 with over 40,000 cases reported in the region in both humans and animals.
The infection has reportedly reduced to only 992 in 2019 after 50 years with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounting for 70% of all cases in the Region.
South Sudan, Zambia, Angola, Malawi, Chad reported between 10 to 100 cases while Uganda, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Tanzania reported between 1 to 10 cases in the year.
Many of the affected population according to the report live in remote rural areas with limited access to adequate health care services.
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