Kitgum District Responds to the Nagana Threat
As internally displaced people have returned to their homes in northern Uganda, they have also returned to their traditional livelihoods. For some, this means raising cattle, and the Government of Uganda has helped these returnees with efforts to rebuild herds decimated during years of civil strife.
The opening of markets in neighboring Sudan has greatly boosted cattle trade, and Kitgum District in particular has experienced a boom in its cattle population. However, a survey carried out by the district's Veterinary Department in November 2008 revealed that, along with the larger numbers of cattle, the region is seeing higher numbers of insects, including tsetse flies, which carry the parasite responsible for nagana, a wasting disease in nonresistant livestock. The tsetse fly also carries a related parasite that is responsible for sleeping sickness in humans, which can be fatal.
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| Veterinary extension staff vaccinates cattle in Orom Sub-county.
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Government policy requires that all breeding cattle be vaccinated and that owners provide evidence that their cattle have been treated. Kitgum officials procured vaccines for a district-wide vaccination program but were unable to proceed because of limited staff and logistical capacity.
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) responded to the district's need by providing the Veterinary Department with assistance to coordinate and successfully vaccinate nearly 16,000 cattle spread across the district's 19 sub-counties. "The vaccination exercise was very timely because of the emerging increased cases of nagana and sleeping sickness being reported in the district," said District Veterinary Officer Otto Aldo Best.
Taking advantage of the time on the ground with cattle owners, the Veterinary Department was able to provide them with information about animal production, management, and disease control. Such face-to-face interaction is rare, given the department's meager resources. "[OTI's assistance] has been relevant because of the opportunity it gave the department to interact with the community and understand the challenges they face," Best said.
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"USAID is always quick in its response, so I therefore must commend them once again for taking on this big assignment and delivering quality work in record time."
—Chairman John Ogwok, Local Council 5
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OTI also supported public awareness radio broadcasts, providing citizens with information on measures they can take to control the spread of insects and the diseases they harbor.
The project provided an important opportunity for the district's veterinary staff to connect with livestock owners. It also helped build public confidence in the Veterinary Department's ability to respond to animal health issues.
For further information, please contact the USAID Africa Bureau.
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