The spatio-temporal trends Of FMD outbreaks in some districts of the cattle corridor in Uganda

Abstract

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly infectious viral disease that occurs in both wild and domestic animals. It is a disease of high significance to both the farmers and the Ugandan economy at large. In Uganda, FMD has been occurring since 1953 with outbreaks re-occurring annually irrespective of the control strategies in place. The Spatio-temporal trends of FMD outbreaks in eleven selected districts of Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Luweero, Sembabule, Isingiro, Mbarara, Masindi, Lyantonde, Kyankwanzi, and Gomba located within the cattle corridor belt were determined. Information on public awareness about FMD and the stakeholder’s involvement in the control and prevention of FMD was assessed, and the perceived risks responsible for the recurrent outbreaks were quantified. The study used FMD outbreak data collected from 2011-2019 at the National Animal Disease Epidemiology Centre (NADDEC) and from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries plus gathering information using semi-structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews that were administered to 100 respondents purposively selected (farmers, private vets and para vets, drugshop retailers and livestock traders. A descriptive analysis was done using excel and STATA software 14.2 and descriptive statitics generated. A total of 136 FMD outbreaks were reported in these areas of Uganda occurring randomly. There is still inadequate public awareness about FMD, its control, and the stakeholder’s involvement in the control. The major perceived risk of continuous FMD occurrence was the fear of vaccine failure (91%) followed by massive animal with a frequency of (17.12%). These were contributed by corruption tendencies, weak and obsolete laws during quarantines, and the longer periods of droughts experienced in the cattle corridor. These results provide insights into the endemic nature of FMD in the cattle corridor districts, insufficient commitments by the governance system, and the challenges associated with the need to engage different stakeholders in the control of this disease. These results will at the same time guide the policymakers (Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and Local Government) to review, improve and strengthen the existing control strategies of FMD in all places where it is reported to be endemic. More studies should be carried out to determine the farmer perceived causes of vaccine failure and streamline vaccine evaluations to ensure that the vaccines in use are effective.