DVOs , UWA clash over origin of  FMD strain   

District veterinary officers (DVOs)  have clashed with Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) over the origin of the viral strain of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) affecting livestock in the country.

Although  there is a  widely held belief that FMD , which is recurrent in Uganda, is from neigbouring Tanzania, veterinary doctors in the cattle corridor, which has suffered  rampant outbreaks over the years, said  the current strain of FMD emanates  from game parks  that host wild animals with hooves.

FMD is an infectious disease that affects cloven-hoofed or divided hoofed animals.

Dr Ronald Bameka, the Lyantonde DVO,  last week said:“Game parks  like Lake Mburo National Park act as a host of FMD because of the type of animals in the park that also suffer from FMD...Our efforts are also frustrated by livestock farmers who graze in national parks.”  

Dr Erias Kizito Nsubuga, the Rakai DVO, said some sub-counties that border Lake Mburo National Park  and Lake Kijjanebarora are among the areas that suffer frequent FMD outbreaks. 

“84 out of 311 FMD outbreaks in 2023 were reported in 53 sub-counties neigbouring game parks in the country. FMD outbreaks were recorded 16 times in the said sub-counties during the same period,” he said.

However, Mr Bashir Hangi, the UWA spokesperson, dismissed the claims of the DVOs as speculative.

He added that another school of thought asserts that domestic animals are the ones infecting wild animals.

“The believability of [DVOs claims] is doubtable because it’s not premised on any form of evidence,” Mr Hangi said.