The government has disbursed 930,000 vaccines for Foot and Mouth diseases-FMD to different parts of the country.
The vaccines were handed over on Thursday to veterinary officers from districts of Mpigi, Ntungamo, Luweero, Kayunga Mubende, and Isingiro by the Minister for Agriculture Frank Tumwebaze.
Tumwebaze says that the government allocated 19 billion shillings for the procurement of the vaccines and has since procured two million doses of vaccines.
Last week, the ministry delivered other vaccines to Katakwi, Bukedea, Bugiri, Rakai, Kyotera, Kiruhura, and Kween.
The others are Mbale, Bulambuli, Kapchorwa, and Nakapiripiriiti.
Tumwebaze emphasized the need for vaccination as a means to prevent foot and Mouth disease which is recorded as the biggest disease that affects animals in Uganda.
He also defended the decision by the government to monopolize the acquisition and administration of the FMD vaccine saying that if it is made private, it could compromise the quality of the vaccines.
The Commissioner for Animal Health Dr. Anna Rose Ademun Okurut said that the districts that are at high risk include Katakwi and Bukedea.
She added that District Veterinary Officers shall use the data available to determine which animals will be vaccinated first depending on the level of risk as assessed.
Okurut asked the farmers to respect movement measures that have been put in place such that they don’t expose animals to risks of catching the disease.
Dr. Daniel Kasibule, the President of the Uganda Veterinary Association emphasized the need for vaccination saying that without it, the quality of the products will be compromised.
According to records from the Ministry, the total population of animals that should be vaccinated against FMD is over 44 million, but only a few shall be covered with the available vaccines.