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Funds halt mass production of Uganda-made tick vaccines
The managing director of Alfasan Uganda Ltd, Dr Steven Birungi (left) and Makerere University vice chancellor, Prof Barnabas Nawangwe (right) exchange signed copies of the MoU on March 19 2021, at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and BioSecurity (CoVAB). PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Research officials say the money was released by government but they have not yet received it.
Makerere University scientists, who developed an anti-tick vaccine, have said their plan to start commercial production has hit a snag amid delays by government to release funds that were appropriated by Parliament for the work.
The lead developer of the vaccine, Dr Margaret Saimo-Kahwa, told Sunday Monitor that commercial manufacturing was planned to start last month and that it was scheduled be done by a Kampala based veterinary drugs manufacturer, Alfasan.
“Government has not yet released the money, although they say it has been provided. They have not communicated the time when we can expect the money,” Dr Saimo-Kahwa told Sunday Monitor on Friday.
Results from the completed Uganda-made anti-tick trials showed that the overall efficacy of the vaccine in stopping tick infestation is 86 per cent for brown ear tick that transmits East Coast Fever (ECF).
The planned production will be for the batches that will be used in major field tests in Ngoma, Nakeseke District, according to the developer.
Parliament in February approved Shs2.27b to kick-start local production of test batches of anti-tick vaccine, establish Ngoma field tick farm in Nakaseke District, laboratory restructuring and acquisition of equipment.
Mr Keith Muhakanizi, the Finance ministry’s Permanent Secretary, could not be reached by press time for a comment.
Mr Jim Mugunga, the ministry’s spokesperson, told this newspaper: “I do not know [whether or not the money was released]. But that question should go to the accounting officer of the university.”
Dr Saimo-Kahwa said farmers are losing cattle and other livestock due to tick-borne diseases which account for up to 70 per cent of cattle mortality, thus threatening the current national herd at 15 million.
Prof Barnabas Nawangwe, the Makerere University vice-chancellor, while signing the memorandum of understanding with Alfasan last month at the University, said: “If this vaccine can reduce the burden of tick-borne diseases, we will have through one single innovation made a huge contribution to solving one of Uganda’s biggest problems.”
Once successful, the anti-tick vaccine will be sold at around Shs5,000 per dose, according to the developers. This is much lower than what other manufacturers charge for similar products.
The issue
Ticks are vectors for diseases like East Coast Fever, which is a huge economic threat to farmers with herds of exotic breeds, their crosses and increasingly and local breeds raised in a tick-free environment.
The National Drug Authority (NDA) monitoring reports for effectiveness of drugs indicate common tick species in Uganda have developed resistance to acaricides used in spraying as the main method of their control.
This resistance is further exacerbated by acaricide contamination of the environment, leading to residues in animal products like milk and meat, which have implications on human health, according to NDA.
