The Ugandan government plans to import 10 million doses of vaccines to facilitate the scaling up of ring vaccination in the ongoing fight against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle.
During a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Yoweri Museveni, it was proposed that after completing ring vaccination, farmers would be required to pay for the FMD vaccines in a compulsory vaccination scheme. Subsequently, trade in animal products will be restricted to those adhering to the plan.
Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebazwe, announced the resolutions, highlighting strategies to contain the disease currently affecting 36 districts.
Cabinet agreed to establish a revolving fund for procuring sufficient FMD vaccines to facilitate compulsory bi-annual vaccination of susceptible domestic animals. Additionally, a plan was approved for farmers to bear the cost of vaccines while the government covers other expenses.
“Vaccination is to be made compulsory. Proof of vaccination will be a precondition for any farmer to sell any animal products,” Minister Tumwebazwe emphasized, urging livestock farmers and stakeholders to support the efforts towards eradicating FMD in Uganda.
The 36 affected districts are currently under quarantine, with neighboring districts under strict surveillance due to the high risk of disease spread.
The Ministry of Agriculture anticipates receiving and distributing 2.3 million doses of the FMD vaccine to affected and susceptible districts for ring vaccination scale-up in the coming months.
Furthermore, Uganda’s National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO) has initiated the development of an FMD vaccine tailored for Uganda to enhance vaccine availability in the country.
