In a significant move to address the ongoing Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak, Uganda received a consignment of three million vaccine doses from Egypt on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. The vaccines were welcomed at Entebbe International Airport by Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
“With this consignment of three million doses, we shall be able to cover a substantial number of animals at risk in the most affected and transit districts,” stated Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze.
The delivery, facilitated by Gen. Kainerugaba’s military relations with the Egyptian government, is seen as a critical step in mitigating the impact of FMD, which has led to a quarantine in 32 districts across Uganda, causing significant distress in the cattle corridor. The affected districts include Luwero, Gomba, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, and Sembabule, among others.
Minister Tumwebaze, along with colleagues from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), were present to witness the arrival. The team included State Minister for Animal Industry Bright Rwamirama, State Minister for Fisheries Hellen Adoa, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama, and other senior officials.
The shipment also included laboratory equipment to enhance the capacity of the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), paving the way for domestic vaccine manufacturing processes as per agreements between Uganda and Egypt.
Uganda’s total susceptible animal herd requires 44 million doses of FMD vaccine annually, necessitating a bi-annual vaccination program costing $176 million per year. The recent vaccine shipment from Egypt will play a crucial role in supporting this effort.
Previously, on May 27, 2024, Rwamirama handed over the first batch of the three million doses of FMD vaccines to 27 districts at the National Animal Diseases Diagnostic Epidemiology Center (NADDEC) in Entebbe. He noted that “the vaccines procured from Egypt will support the districts that reported outbreaks. The FMD vaccine doses allocated will cover 60% of the 16 million livestock at risk. Starting in July, policy shifts will compel every farmer to vaccinate twice a year, with MAAIF facilitating the process.”
This consignment marks a major milestone in Uganda’s battle against FMD, promising relief for the affected regions and bolstering the nation’s agricultural resilience.
