Uganda has secured a second shipment of 3 million doses of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines from Egypt, arriving three months after the initial batch in May.
The vaccines were officially received at Entebbe International Airport by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chief of Defence Forces and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations. He was joined by Frank Tumwebaze, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF), Bright Rwamirama, Minister of State for Animal Industry, and MAAIF Permanent Secretary, Maj. Gen. David Kasura Kyomukama, along with other senior officials.
The ongoing FMD outbreak has led to quarantines in 32 districts, severely impacting Uganda's cattle corridor. Districts under quarantine include Luwero, Gomba, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, and Sembabule. To contain the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture has restricted livestock and livestock product movement into, out of, and through these areas.
To protect Uganda's susceptible animal population, an estimated 44 million doses of FMD vaccine are required annually, with a bi-annual vaccination program costing $176 million. The recent vaccine donations from Egypt are pivotal in advancing this initiative.
The prompt delivery of these vaccines is credited to the efforts of the CDF in negotiating with Egyptian authorities, representing a critical step forward in Uganda's battle against FMD.
