Fresh outbreak of foot and mouth disease hits Nwoya

By Chris Woo

Several pastoralists in Nwoya district are crying foul following a fresh outbreak of the foot and mouth disease.

1,663 new cases of the disease have been reported while 83 herds of cattle have so far succumbed to the disease. The most affected hot spots are Anaka, Purongo and Lungulu Sub Counties in Nwoya district.

Jackson Kinyera a livestock farmer in Lawiokot village Purongo Sub County says their Lawiokot Cooperative farmer’s society has already lost 39 out of 839 cattle just within only two weeks period in five kraals.
 
‘’Times are hard. We have already lost 39 of our cattle to the foot and mouth disease. And yes this is just within the last two weeks. We also struggling to settle the people who work on our farm because they depend so much on sales of milk from the farm’’, he said.
 
Santos Latim, another livestock farmer in Patira parish Anaka Sub County said they are lacking the necessary knowledge and drugs to curb further spread of the disease.
 
He said they may further not be able to cater for the welfare of their family members since most of them rely on cattle keeping as their source of income.
 
The fresh outbreak of the foot and mouth disease is a big setback to pastoralists across the district since the area was recovering after recording the same just last week.
 
Authorities in the district have also banned the transportation and consumption of meat products and enforce of quarantine following the increasing cases.
 
Emmanuel Orac the LCV chairperson Nwoya district says this is part of the raft of measures to contain the disease.
 
In an interview with Dr James Ukwir, the Nwoya district veterinary officer, an attempt has been to mobilize vaccines and other medicines to curtail the rampant spread of this infection. He says the parts of the district has also been infested with black flies and tsetse flies especially in the two sub counties of Koch Lii and Koch Goma respectively.
 
Only last week, Nwoya district veterinary department had already recorded more than 2,000 cases of foot and mouth disease only from the four sub counties of Lungulu, Anaka,Otapwoyo and purongo sub counties.

The Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) is a severe, highly contagious viral disease. The virus causes illness in cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer, and other animals with divided hooves. An infected animal presents with loss of appetite, sticky or foamy saliva, and reluctance to move, fever and blisters on the tongue, mouth and foot.

COVER PHOTO: One of the cattle affected by foot and mouth disease in Anaka Sub County. Photo by Chris Woo.