The Food and Agricultural Organisation is to spend about US$ 500,000 through technical support project that is being developed in a bid to help National Animal disease Diagnosis and Epidemiology Center (NADDEC) in joint surveillance.
The disclosure was made by Alhaji Jallow, the FAO country representative, while handing over items worth US$ 45,729 to combat the outbreak of H5N8 in Uganda.
Dr Juliet Sentumbwe
During the function the Director of Animal Resources in MAAIF Dr Juliet Sentumbwe lauded FAO for its assistance.
“This was additional aid from the funding FAO rendered to National Animal Disease Diagnosis and Epidemiology Centre (NADDEC) in the Joint surveillance trip to Masaka and Kalamojja district which facilitated rapid risk analysis,” Dr Sentumbwe said.
She added: ”Other surveillance will be conducted in Kisoro, Wakiso and Budawa, and FAO will conduct more training to lab staff in advanced diagnosis of Avian Influenza, capacity training in bio safety and security.”
On her part the Acting Commissioner Veterinary Diagnosis and Epidemiology Dr Anna Rose Ademun Okurut, revealed that samples from a bird that died at the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) on January 3, contained traits of the H5N8 influenza, which affects both birds and humans.
She said the samples were sent to Italy and the initial results were positive “since we had managed to screen them to the maximum levels that are available in Italy.”
According to Dr Okurut, all neighbouring countries have now boycotted Ugandan poultry products.
“A team from Kenya is now in Uganda to find out if the flu has been eradicated and when they finalize with their visit all the rest will adopt the resolution taken by Kenya,” she said, adding however, that the flu has been contained in the infested areas.
In her remarks the State Minister for Animal Industry Joy Kabatsi Kafureka said all infested areas have already been contained and have clear protection.
She however, wondered why the neighbours were getting itchy.
“All our neighbours claim that they do not have any infections yet birds fly all over Lake Victoria, how is it possible that they only choose to die on Ugandan beaches,” she wondered.
She also raised an alarm about the ticks affecting the cattle corridor in at least 23 districts, saying it resulted from climate change.
“Government has prepared a drive to cleanse all the herds and a team was sent to Cuba to get vaccines against ticks,” she said.
