By Aminah Nabuule
The minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Hon. Frank Tumwebaze has called on District veterinary officers to desist from politicking and selling of the Fotivax vaccines to farmers as a step towards ensuring the effective vaccination of animals in areas hit by the Foot and Mouth Disease across the country.
Minister Tumwebaze made the appeal during the launch of a countrywide vaccination exercise of animals in select districts hit by Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) with 500,000 doses of Fotivax vaccine in Entebbe where he handed over the vaccines select District Veterinary Officers at the National Animal Disease Diagnostics and Epidemiology Centre (NADDEC) on Thursday,
Frank Tumwebaze said the District Veterinary Officers are to carry out ring vaccination starting with farms in affected districts to ensure they stop multiplying the disease which will be followed by field visits to harmonize the disease control strategy with farmers and local leaders.
The Minister of State for Animal Industry is Hon. Lt. Col (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama said the 500,000 doses were the first batch of a total of 1,410,000 doses procured by Government from the Kenya Veterinary Vaccines Production Institute at a cost of Shs 13billion.
Bright Rwamirama said the vaccination exercise which has been relaunched was a step towards curbing the threat of FMD among the cattle corridor areas which had been put in control in 47 districts last year.
Rwamiramwa noted that past government efforts to curb FMD have been countered by impostors in different government departments taking bribes and Veterinary officers acting unprofessionally by knowingly giving permits to cattle traders from affected districts allowing them to transport animals.
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