Egypt delivers a second batch of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines

Kampala | On Tuesday, Uganda received a second batch of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak vaccines from Egypt.

The consignment contained 3 million doses and arrived only three months after the initial shipment of 3 million doses in May.

The Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, received the doses at Entebbe International Airport.

He was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of State for Animal Industry, Bright Rwamirama, the MAAIF Permanent Secretary, Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama, and other senior officials.

The FMD outbreak in Uganda has resulted in a quarantine in 32 districts, causing significant distress in the cattle corridor. Districts affected include Luwero, Gomba, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, and Sembabule, among others.

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To combat the spread of the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture has prohibited the movement of livestock and livestock products into, out of, and through these districts.

Uganda’s entire susceptible animal herd requires 44 million doses of FMD vaccine each year, necessitating a $176 million biannual vaccination programme.

Recent vaccine shipments from Egypt will be critical in supporting this effort.

Uganda’s efforts to fight FMD have achieved a major milestone with the prompt delivery of the vaccines, which came about as a result of the CDF’s engagement with Egyptian authorities.