Govt embarks on second phase of FMD vaccination
Some of the District Veterinary Officers receive FMD vaccines for phase two from Minister of State for Animal Industry Bright Rwamirama. Photo | Eve Muganga
What you need to know:
- The campaign aims to complete its planned bi-annual vaccination in 84 districts.
Ugandan government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), has embarked on the second phase of its Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination campaign.
The campaign aims to complete its planned bi-annual vaccination in 84 districts.
Minister of State for Animal Industry, Lt Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama, handed over 4.56 million doses of FMD vaccines to District Veterinary Officers (DVOs) at the Ministry headquarters in Entebbe on Tuesday, emphasising a complete vaccination exercise.
"Government procured vaccines, and this is part of the additional vaccines we have been giving out in phases. This is an opportunity for every DVO to vaccinate his/her district completely, especially for cows," he said.
Mr Rwamirama emphasised the importance of exhausting the vaccines quickly to start the new policy shift.
"The current operating policy is that the FMD vaccine is free and compulsory. However, we have established challenges in the process. We don't have enough vaccines to cover the national herd, and our budgetary resources are huge," he noted
The new policy shift divides mandates between farmers and the government.
"The cost of the vaccine will be borne by the farmers, and the cost of the vaccination exercise and cold chain will be the responsibility of the government," Mr Rwamirama explained.
Dr Anna Rose Ademun, Commissioner in charge of Animal Health at MAAIF, noted that the new policy aims to eliminate FMD.
"We want to get rid of FMD because it's the chief disease preventing us from accessing the international market," she said.
She added that Post Bank has developed a system called WENDI for farmers to pay for FMD vaccines.
The government has provided one-off funding to buy vaccines and facilitate veterinary officers.
“As MAAIF, our work is to ensure that quality vaccines are procured and stored in the veterinary medical stores and then DVOs will pick them after payment by the farmers,” she added.
The 84 targeted districts include Abim, Adjumani, Agago, Alebtong, Gulu, Jinja, Kasese, Kibale, Wakiso, Kyotera, Mpigi, and Kiboga, among others.
