How Uganda got rid of rinderpest
Sep 27, 2011
Rinderpest is a word of German origin translated as ‘cattle plague’ in English. It is a devastating viral cattle disease and some wildlife species such as buffaloes, giraffes and antelopes.
Rinderpest is a word of German origin translated as ‘cattle plague’ in English. It is a devastating viral cattle disease and some wildlife species such as buffaloes, giraffes and antelopes.
It is said to have killed up to 95% of the cattle population in the region today known as Uganda between 1844 and 1884 and again killed some more between 1971 and 1979.
In May 2008, the World Organisation for Animal Health declared Uganda free of rinderpest, the last case having been seen in 1994 in Moroto district. Congratulations to all Ugandans, but more specifically to the various people who contributed to the war against rinderpest. These include government officials, development partners, veterinarians and farmers.
The veterinarians played a key role as chief planners and exactors in their respective command posts and field positions. It is good to note that some of the veterinarians who worked hard to bring the dreaded disease under control are still around today to see the fruits of their efforts being celebrated globally.
They include Dr. Kebba Kinani, Dr. Kenneth Oteng, Dr. Sserwadda, Dr. Thomas Bamusonighe, Dr. Mark Onega, Dr. Charles Kudamba, Dr. Erasmus Rwamushwa, Dr. Emily Kabushenga Twinamasiko, Dr. Chris Rutebarika, Dr. Rose Ademun, Dr. Noelina Nantima, Dr. Nicholas Kauta, Dr. Njabala Tonda and several other senior veterinarians.
They were able to control the disease because they ranked it highly on their priority list and included it in all their assignments.
Kudos wadaktari! A special tribute goes to those who never lived to see the fruits of their work – the departed comrades; Dr. John Babiiha, Dr. Kalyegira, Dr. Philip Ociba, Dr. Onekalit, Dr. Onyait and several others.
On Tuesday June 28, 2011, the United Nations declared the world free of Rinderpest, a disease that terrorised the world for centuries, causing heavy economic losses. In Africa alone, the efforts to control the spread of Rinderpest cost over 200 million Euros between 1961 and 2008.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the total cost of eradicating the disease from Uganda is estimated at about sh32b.
It was worth it though as the disease was denying mankind the much needed animal protein and draft power, leading to low production.
Cooperation from farmers was another important factor in the fight against rinderpest.
By participating in vaccination programmes, promptly reporting suspected cases and following movement control guidelines played a key role in the fight to eradicate rinderpest.
Veterinarians on their part carried out ‘eagle-eye surveillance’, quick diagnosis, effective case management, quick intervention, animal movement control and meticulous information management. All these activities are key in the control of livestock epidemics.
This demonstrates the capacity of vets in Uganda to effectively control animal diseases.
What it takes is appropriate facilitation and support from the various stakeholders.
With these in place, the burden of epidemic livestock diseases will drastically be reduced.
What veterinarians need is effective administrative support, adequate resource facilitation, enabling legal and policy frameworks and concerted, swift and rigorous enforcement efforts.
The per capita consumption of animal products by Ugandans has gone up, leading to a corresponding increase in household incomes and foreign exchange earnings from animals and animal products to the joy of livestock farmers and the general public. This shows that together we can make things happen.
Veterinarians in Uganda pledge to continue serving the nation and its people diligently. To enhance our contribution, we recommend the re-instatement of the Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries for a more focused budgetary allocation and prioritisation thereof.
As it is now, animal-related issues tend to get overlooked in the gigantic Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, which has too many areas to deal with.
Inadequate supervision coupled with ambiguity in roles contribute greatly to underperformance in the agricultural systems in Uganda manifested through, among others, a slow growth in the volume of exports (due to lack of surpluses and other trade restrictions), scarcity of both crop and animal products resulting into food insecurity (due to inadequate production for local consumption).
We appreciate and support President Museveni’s one cow per family strategy, which he outlined in the June 2011 State-of-the-Nation address. We believe that it will yield good results but only if some of these policy and administrative frameworks are dealt with effectively.
The writer is the president of the Uganda Veterinary Association
It is said to have killed up to 95% of the cattle population in the region today known as Uganda between 1844 and 1884 and again killed some more between 1971 and 1979.
In May 2008, the World Organisation for Animal Health declared Uganda free of rinderpest, the last case having been seen in 1994 in Moroto district. Congratulations to all Ugandans, but more specifically to the various people who contributed to the war against rinderpest. These include government officials, development partners, veterinarians and farmers.
The veterinarians played a key role as chief planners and exactors in their respective command posts and field positions. It is good to note that some of the veterinarians who worked hard to bring the dreaded disease under control are still around today to see the fruits of their efforts being celebrated globally.
They include Dr. Kebba Kinani, Dr. Kenneth Oteng, Dr. Sserwadda, Dr. Thomas Bamusonighe, Dr. Mark Onega, Dr. Charles Kudamba, Dr. Erasmus Rwamushwa, Dr. Emily Kabushenga Twinamasiko, Dr. Chris Rutebarika, Dr. Rose Ademun, Dr. Noelina Nantima, Dr. Nicholas Kauta, Dr. Njabala Tonda and several other senior veterinarians.
They were able to control the disease because they ranked it highly on their priority list and included it in all their assignments.
Kudos wadaktari! A special tribute goes to those who never lived to see the fruits of their work – the departed comrades; Dr. John Babiiha, Dr. Kalyegira, Dr. Philip Ociba, Dr. Onekalit, Dr. Onyait and several others.
On Tuesday June 28, 2011, the United Nations declared the world free of Rinderpest, a disease that terrorised the world for centuries, causing heavy economic losses. In Africa alone, the efforts to control the spread of Rinderpest cost over 200 million Euros between 1961 and 2008.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, the total cost of eradicating the disease from Uganda is estimated at about sh32b.
It was worth it though as the disease was denying mankind the much needed animal protein and draft power, leading to low production.
Cooperation from farmers was another important factor in the fight against rinderpest.
By participating in vaccination programmes, promptly reporting suspected cases and following movement control guidelines played a key role in the fight to eradicate rinderpest.
Veterinarians on their part carried out ‘eagle-eye surveillance’, quick diagnosis, effective case management, quick intervention, animal movement control and meticulous information management. All these activities are key in the control of livestock epidemics.
This demonstrates the capacity of vets in Uganda to effectively control animal diseases.
What it takes is appropriate facilitation and support from the various stakeholders.
With these in place, the burden of epidemic livestock diseases will drastically be reduced.
What veterinarians need is effective administrative support, adequate resource facilitation, enabling legal and policy frameworks and concerted, swift and rigorous enforcement efforts.
The per capita consumption of animal products by Ugandans has gone up, leading to a corresponding increase in household incomes and foreign exchange earnings from animals and animal products to the joy of livestock farmers and the general public. This shows that together we can make things happen.
Veterinarians in Uganda pledge to continue serving the nation and its people diligently. To enhance our contribution, we recommend the re-instatement of the Ministry of Animal Industry and Fisheries for a more focused budgetary allocation and prioritisation thereof.
As it is now, animal-related issues tend to get overlooked in the gigantic Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, which has too many areas to deal with.
Inadequate supervision coupled with ambiguity in roles contribute greatly to underperformance in the agricultural systems in Uganda manifested through, among others, a slow growth in the volume of exports (due to lack of surpluses and other trade restrictions), scarcity of both crop and animal products resulting into food insecurity (due to inadequate production for local consumption).
We appreciate and support President Museveni’s one cow per family strategy, which he outlined in the June 2011 State-of-the-Nation address. We believe that it will yield good results but only if some of these policy and administrative frameworks are dealt with effectively.
The writer is the president of the Uganda Veterinary Association