TB hits 70% of Mbarara cattle

By Kikonyogo NgatyaSEVENTY percent of the cattle in Mbarara district are infected with tuberculosis, Mrs Mary Mugyenyi, the state minister for animal industry, said yesterday.Mugyenyi also said 50% of the cattle in the area are infected with brucellosis, a contagious bacterial disease. Both diseases can be passed on to human beings through consumption of unboiled milk or undercooked meat.Mugyenyi, citing a recent survey by French and Ugandan veterinary experts, said the high prevalence of infectious livestock disease threatens the development of the meat and dairy industries. Uganda has six million head of cattle. The government wants to increase the national herd to over 10 million to increase farmer’s incomes.Mugyenyi was speaking during the launch of the Agricultural Consultation and Sector Structuring in Uganda.The project is meant to improve agricultural policies and empower farmers for increased productivity and poverty alleviation. the French and Uganda governments support it.The project is expected to take three years. It will be implemented in phases, starting with western Uganda. Animal TB in man is associated with intestine infections and internal organ failures. Brucellosis causes swollen joints, on and off headaches and enlargement of testis in men. recent surveys by the Makerere University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine also indicated that animal TB was common among cattle in various parts of the country.The sixth annual World Health organisation Tuberculosis report, released last month listed Uganda as a TB high burdened country.