BULIISA BANS MOVEMENT OF LIVESTOCK OVER SUSPECTED FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
He also disclosed that the suspected cases were registered by over five pastoralists.
By Pascal Onega
BULIISA: In an exclusive interview with our reporter last evening, the Buliisa district veterinary officer, Mr. Mubiru Rashid, disclosed that they have commenced investigations into a suspected foot and mouth disease outbreak in the district.
He said that the suspected cases were registered last week in the villages of Waiga and Kataleba in Bugana Parish, Buliisa Sub County.
The veterinary officer said he was notified by some cattle keepers after observing some of their animals presenting with fever, depression, hypersalivation, loss of appetite, and weight loss, among others.
He also disclosed that the suspected cases were registered by over five pastoralists.
As a result, Mubiru told our reporter that they have banned the movement and sale of animals within Buliisa Sub County to contain the spread of the suspected foot and mouth disease, adding that samples have been dispatched to the virus research institute.
Foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus that survives in living tissue and in the breath, saliva, urine, and other excretions of infected animals.
It can also survive in contaminated materials and the environment for several months under the right conditions. There are seven known types and more than 60 subtypes of the foot and mouth disease virus.
According to the World Health Organization, FMD is a severe, highly contagious viral disease of livestock that affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants.
An infected animal presents with fever, depression, hypersalivation, loss of appetite, weight loss, growth retardation, and a drop in milk production, which can persist even after recovery.
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