Africa-Press – Uganda. The Government has procured 20,000 litres of Deltamethrin acaricide worth Shs 2.4 billion to protect livestock farmers in high-risk districts from trypanosomiasis, a vector-borne disease that continues to threaten animal productivity and rural livelihoods.
The intervention, spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), targets districts with persistent tsetse fly infestation, particularly along wildlife conservation corridors.
Trypanosomiasis affects humans, livestock and wildlife, with the tsetse fly as the principal vector. While Uganda has made remarkable progress in nearly eliminating human African trypanosomiasis through coordinated interventions by MAAIF and the Ministry of Health, the disease remains a significant challenge in livestock and wildlife.
An estimated 65 districts are still considered at risk, where infections undermine cattle health, milk and meat production, and household incomes.
According to Dr. Wangoola Robert Mandela, the Assistant Commissioner for Trypanosomiasis Control and Coordination (ACTCC) at the Division of Trypanosomiasis Control and Coordination (DTCC) under MAAIF’s Department of Entomology, the procured Deltamethrin will be deployed strategically in high-risk areas to suppress tsetse populations and reduce infection rates.
“Much as the disease and the vector seem to be on the decrease in some parts of the country, we need to be vigilant in applying appropriate control interventions to prevent vector and disease resurgence,” Dr. Wangoola said.
He noted that acaricide-based spraying is among the most effective tools in integrated vector management, especially when combined with surveillance, farmer sensitisation and environmental management.
The current distribution is expected to strengthen gains already registered in several districts while preventing re-infestation from neighbouring wildlife habitats, which have historically acted as reservoirs for tsetse flies.
Launching the distribution of the Deltamethrin acaricide in Kampala, the State Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries in charge of Animal Industry, Bright Rwamirama, emphasised that government interventions alone cannot sustainably eliminate the disease.
He encouraged farmers to complement public efforts by investing in routine animal health management practices. “Our country’s livestock and people remain at risk of trypanosomiasis infections due to high tsetse fly infestation in some parts of the country,” Rwamirama said.
He added that sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock have long constrained productivity in high-risk zones, limiting national livestock growth and affecting household resilience.
“For the high-risk zone, this disease has acted as a major barrier to national livestock production and productivity. The wildlife conservation corridors have been centres of tsetse re-infestation, and this situation has also negatively affected the tourism sector. My government is aware and deeply concerned about this challenge,” he said.
Beyond immediate disease control, the acaricide distribution is expected to contribute to broader economic outcomes, including improved animal health, increased market access for livestock products, and reduced vulnerability of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities.
MAAIF says it will continue to work with local governments, development partners and farmers to scale up integrated control measures, ensuring that gains against trypanosomiasis are sustained and expanded nationwide.
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