Concerns as Pakwach registers over 150 cases of foot-and-mouth disease

Pakwach: Pakwach District has recorded a severe outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) across three sub-counties: Alwi, Wadelai, and Ragem.

Ragem Sub-County reported 100 cases, Wadelai registered over 50, and Alwi confirmed one case.

To curb the spread of the disease, the Pakwach leadership has imposed strict restrictions on the movement of livestock and animal products into, out of, and through the district.

Twaib Achille, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner, has appealed to farmers to strictly adhere to quarantine guidelines and avoid transporting livestock and animal products from one place to another. He assured residents that the district has requested additional FMD vaccines from the government to ensure 100% vaccination coverage.

Leaders remain optimistic that the timely delivery of vaccines will play a key role in slowing the rapid spread of this dangerous disease.

Many farmers, however, are growing increasingly anxious as they await vaccines to safeguard their animals. Ogala Charles, a livestock farmer in Pumit Parish, Wadelai Sub-County, reported losing two calves to premature births caused by FMD infection. He also revealed that he recently spent 130,000 shillings on treatments for his infected animals.

Last year, the government imposed livestock quarantines in 32 districts across the country due to an FMD outbreak, which caused widespread distress within the cattle corridor. Affected districts included Luwero, Gomba, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, and Sembabule, among others.

Florence Acen, the Pakwach Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, has urged farmers to remain vigilant and promptly identify infected animals to comply with containment measures.

This is the second major FMD outbreak in Pakwach since 2017. It compounds the challenges farmers faced in 2023 when contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) in goats and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in cattle ravaged the area, killing hundreds of livestock.

The District Production Officer, Canpara Robert, who is also the acting District Veterinary Officer, stated that the district requires an additional 40,000 doses of vaccines to cover over 37,000 registered cattle.

Foot-and-mouth disease is caused by an aphthovirus of the Picornaviridae family. According to the World Organization for Animal Health, prevention depends on early detection and warning systems, effective surveillance, and proper containment measures.

Omito Robert Steen, the LCV Chairperson of Pakwach, attributed the outbreak to the illegal transportation of animals across the River Nile and improper disposal of animal waste along livestock corridors in Alwi Sub-County, particularly in the villages of Ondir and Got Madi. He called for heightened security surveillance to curb these practices.

In November last year, Uganda received a consignment of FMD vaccines from Egypt through the UPDF, comprising 2.5 million doses. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Uganda’s total susceptible livestock population requires 44 million doses of FMD vaccines annually, necessitating a bi-annual vaccination program costing approximately $176 million per year.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a severe, highly contagious viral disease that affects livestock such as cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals. The disease has significant economic impacts, disrupting livestock production and regional and international trade in animals and animal products.

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