International Livestock Research Institute

BUILD project’s Joseph Nkamwesiga wins inaugural FAO award for research on goat plague

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Joseph Nkamwesiga, a researcher with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)-led Boosting Uganda’s Investment in Livestock Development (BUILD) project, is one of 12 recipients of the first-ever Transformative Research Challenge (TRC) peste des petits ruminants (PPR) Special Prize.

The winners were announced at the 2022 World Food Forum held at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome, Italy, on 18 October 2022.
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Concurrent vaccines could reduce cost of disease prevention in goats and sheep

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Concurrent administration of vaccines against different diseases in goats and sheep can reduce vaccination costs by 70%. It can also increase vaccine adoption, thereby curbing the spread of diseases and the related devastation of farmers’ livelihoods.

Researchers in the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)-led Boosting Uganda’s Investment on Livestock Development (BUILD) project have found that more than one...

The problem of using human medication to treat free-range poultry in Soroti, Uganda

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0300

The use of human medication to treat sick birds has been noted amongst 203 poultry-keeping households in eastern Uganda. This is attributed, in part, to challenges rural smallholder farmers face in accessing veterinary drugs.

The most common human medications used in poultry were painkillers, antiparasitics and antibiotics, which are available over the counter in pharmacies. Farmers noted that while these drugs provide temporary relief of the symptoms, the birds were not cured, and many reported that their birds eventually died.

This study by the International Livestock...

PPR epidemiology to inform risk-based control in Uganda

Wed, 18 May 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Joseph Nkamwesiga is a PhD student at Freie Universität Berlin. His PhD research topic is epidemiology of peste des petit ruminants (PPR) in Uganda. It contributes to the PPR epidemiology component of the Boosting Uganda’s Investment in Livestock Development (BUILD) project, whose overall objective is to better understand the infection dynamics of PPR, the importance of...

Open Data Kit to improve livestock disease surveillance and reporting in Uganda

Thu, 05 May 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Surveillance of livestock diseases is key to reduce their harm to livelihoods, development and even humans. Meat inspectors in Uganda are using the Open Data kit (ODK) tool to improve animal disease surveillance and reporting, and sharing their experiences and knowledge with peers. The tool was rolled out at a training workshop held in October 2021 at the Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB). The workshop aimed to boost, retool...

Tackling ‘rational’ antibiotic use in agriculture to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Original blog post by Ivo Syndicus

Recent findings by the One Health Poultry Hub were discussed at an international workshop in Uganda, and support an integrated antibiotic stewardship framework which understands why farmers make the decisions they do.

A major challenge for tackling excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics in agriculture is...

AMR team hosts media café to commemorate 2021 World antimicrobial awareness week

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0300

A media café to build the capacity of science journalists in Uganda and facilitate critical discussion and reporting on antimicrobial resistance using a One Health approach was held in November 2021. The café, organized by Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries and Fisheries (MAAIF), in partnership with the BUILD Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) component, was one of the activities organized to commemorate the 2021 World Antimicrobial Awareness week (WAAW) and was attended by...

Drivers and risk factors of Rift Valley fever in Uganda: Findings from a preliminary survey

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0300

In 2016, for the first time in 48 years, Uganda reported its first localized case of Rift Valley fever in Kabale District, in western Uganda. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak involved 16 human cases and seven deaths. Since then, at least 10 subsequent outbreaks have been reported in the country.

Rift Valley fever is caused by an RNA virus and has a complex transmission cycle that involves mosquito genera such as Aedes, Culex, Mansonia and Anopheles and various mammalian hosts such as cattle, goats, sheep,...

Meat inspectors refresher training to promote food safety in Uganda

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Forty meat inspectors from 31 out of 135 districts across Uganda attended a refresher training in October, aimed to boost, retool and equip them in routine meat inspection procedures, hands-on skills in meat hygiene and food safety procedures as well as knowledge on meat inspection regulations and standards. The training, conducted over two weeks for two cohorts, was organized by the Boosting Uganda’s Investment in Livestock Development (BUILD) project funded by German Federal...

Stakeholders call for more collaboration in Rift Valley fever surveillance and control in Uganda

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0300

Stakeholders working on Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus have called for inclusion of RVF in Uganda’s national One-Health platform activities and facilitation of networking and collaboration among One Health partners nationally to better manage RVF outbreaks and promote timely information sharing about the disease.

The hybrid meeting, held in Kampala at the end of April 2021 physically and online with stakeholders in Nairobi and Germany, was organized by the International Livestock Research Institute(ILRI)-led Boosting Uganda’s Investment in Livestock Development (BUILD) project’s...