Kitagwenda Intensifies Livestock Vaccination After Anthrax Outbreak

Kitagwenda District authorities have intensified efforts to contain the spread of anthrax through a district-wide livestock vaccination campaign.

The campaign is being conducted by private veterinary service providers following an outbreak that has so far claimed two human lives and several animals.

In April, authorities in Kitagwenda announced an anthrax outbreak after laboratory tests conducted at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe returned positive results from samples collected from cattle that had died suddenly in Buhanda Sub-county and Kabujogera Town Council.

The outbreak later spread to other sub-counties in the district, prompting authorities to impose a livestock quarantine and ban the sale and movement of livestock products. 

Speaking to our reporter, Kitagwenda Chief Administrative Officer Moses Daliri said the district is currently relying on private vaccinators as government prepares to supply more vaccines to support the intervention.

Daliri revealed that farmers are paying 3,000 shillings per animal for vaccination, and that more than 20,000 livestock have so far been vaccinated out of an estimated 50,000 livestock in the district.

He said the measures implemented have helped contain the disease from further spreading to neighboring districts and sub-counties.

Daliri noted that despite the outbreak affecting five sub-counties, the district has not registered any new anthrax cases in the last two weeks.

He attributed this to increased public awareness, strict enforcement of quarantine measures, and ongoing vaccination efforts.

He urged residents and farmers to continue cooperating with authorities to completely eliminate the outbreak.

Dr. Naboth Kamubona, the Kitagwenda District Production Officer, said the most affected sub-counties are Buhanda and Kabujogera Town Council.

He encouraged farmers to vaccinate all their animals, avoid slaughtering animals that die suddenly, and immediately report suspected cases to veterinary authorities.

Kamubona also called on the public to strictly observe all preventive measures as efforts continue to fully contain the outbreak.

Anthrax is a serious infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis.

The disease spreads through contact with infected animals or their products, including meat, milk, blood, and skins.

In humans, symptoms include skin sores, fever, breathing difficulties, severe abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

In livestock, anthrax often causes sudden death, bleeding from natural body openings, and swelling.