By eastafrican gazette
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has emphasized the need for an increased production of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine doses to effectively combat the highly contagious viral livestock infection.
“You should make more vaccines, because Uganda has a lot of livestock. Uganda has 44 million livestock,” President Museveni noted.
The President who was accompanied by the First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports, Maama Janet Museveni, made the remarks today while meeting a delegation from the government of Egypt at his Kisozi farm in Gomba District.
He said apart from the 16 million cows, there are goats, pigs, among other domestic animals; which brings the number of livestock in the country to 44 million and all of them require to be vaccinated.
President Museveni also welcomed the partnership between the Egyptian and Ugandan governments through National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), saying that when they partner, research and the whole process will be faster, hence producing good results.
The Egyptian government gave 10 million doses of FMD to Uganda at a subsidised price of 0.9USD or 90 cents.
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze, the first consignment of 3 million doses has been delivered so far, while million doses will be delivered in three weeks.
He said the FMD vaccine from Egypt is the biggest consignment Uganda has received so far.
Tumwebaze also noted that the Government is going to partner with NARO to build a factory in Uganda and to train Ugandans to use the country’s samples to get the fourth strain, take it to their laboratory for matching and they do complete mixing to get quadrivalent.
Gen. Mohsen Azouz, Director of the Veterinary Service Department in Egypt, provided assurance to the President that the remaining doses will be sent promptly, emphasizing Egypt’s dedication to the partnership with Uganda.
Dr. Anna Rose Okurut Ademun, Commissioner Animal Health-Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, said that the two Governments will partner together to develop Serotype from a field strain of Uganda to a vaccine strain to make a fourth strain SAT 1.
She explained that the vaccine has four Serotypes mainly, Serotype“O”, Serotype “A”, SAT 1 and SAT 2.
The meeting was also attended by Hon. Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Animal Industry, Maj. Gen. David Kyomukama Kasura, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and Lt. Gen. Sam Okiding, Deputy Chief of Defence Forces.
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