Kiruhura bans animal movement  over foot and mouth disease

KIRUHURA-  The authorities in Kiruhura District have banned all animal movements in the district, one of the latest measures to contain spread of foot and mouth disease (FMD).

The disease has since November last year persisted and has so far spread to the sub-counties of Kikatsi, Kenshunga, Kashongi, Kinoni and Kiruhura Town Council. 

Each of these sub-counties has at least one farm affected by FMD.

Others, including Kikatsi Sub-county, have as many as eight farms affected by the disease.

“Kiruhura District authorities have stopped all animal movements within and outside the district and suspended all animal slaughter in all centres,” the district veterinary officer, Dr Grace Asiimwe, said on Wednesday.

“Looking at the pattern of the spread, it is basically through animal movements; farm to farm or to market centres. When we stop that, we think it will help us to stop the spread [of the disease]. Right now you find an infected farm here, another three kilometres away and another 10 kilometres. The only way to control further spread is stopping animal movements,” Dr Asiimwe added.

Early this month, 14 dairies in the sub-counties of Kikatsi, Kenshunga, Kashongi, and Kiruhura Town Council, were closed due to the continued spread of FMD in those communities. 
The authorities stopped all milk collectors and transporters who had been traversing farms, and urged farmers to cooperate and be vigilant. 

Dr Asiimwe warned to milk vendors who still pick up milk from FMD-affected areas. 

He said: “We have flagged off mass vaccination in the affected areas.”

Dr Asiimwe said only government veterinary officers or those cleared by the district veterinary office are allowed to participate in the vaccination against FMD, even if the exercise is arranged by an individual farmer. 

Dr Asiimwe said this is intended to guard against unscrupulous veterinary doctors who may undermine efforts to eradicate the disease.

“Some veterinary officers are simply doing business than treating animals. A farmers engages a private veterinary officer, who then administers underdose so as to save on drugs and ‘treat’ as many animals as possible [in the community],” he said.

“Others administer fake or ineffective drugs because some of these farmers are illiterate. If you get vaccine under a private arrangement come to us before you engage a private veterinary doctor,” he added.

Mr Emmanuel Kyeishe, the chairperson of Kiruhura Farmers Sustainable Development Union, acknowledged FMD is spreading rapidly in the district. 

He said: “One of the best measures to contain it is total quarantine, but it is also a challenge. We, farmers, depend on selling cattle and their products. We have needs like other people; we fall sick and have to seek medical treatment, we need to look for school fees. If they stop movement of cows and selling of dairy products, I wonder how they want us to survive. It is a dilemma. We need to control FMD but we also need to survive.”

Mr Kyeishe said the disease could have escalated as a result of failure to apply appropriate measures such as regular vaccination and containing/eliminating the disease from the just few farms where it started from.

He said banning movement of livestock in the district will be hard to implement because farmers will not just accept to die [of hunger] when one can sell cattle to save their lives.

The district chairperson, Mr Sam Katugunda, said they know people have needs and that closure of livestock markets, banning movement of livestock and milk and the closure of slaughter centres comes with great inconvenience but they need to cooperate in order to get rid of the disease.

“We did not want to wait for intervention by the Ministry of Agriculture; if the central government was to order quarantine, that quarantine would last three to five years. We understand the pain but we urge people to depend on other sources of livelihoods,” Mr Katugunda said.

About the disease

FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock. It is characterised by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between the hooves. 

The disease causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and debilitated. (Source: World Organisation for Animal Health) 

Treatment and care for cow with FMD is expensive and tedious. According to Dr Bruhan Kasozi, the Isingiro District veterinary officer, it involves washing sores using antiseptic solution on a daily basis for at least seven days before you leave them to dry on their own. After washing the wounds, you may have to apply wound spray, which has antibiotic (except in the mouth). The purpose of washing wounds is to prevent secondary infections.

Dr Kasozi further says sometimes the affected animals develop high temperatures and you have to also administer temperature reducing drug (Anti Fever).