The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry announced early this week that it had lifted the ban on cattle movement that had previously been imposed in several districts of Eastern Province. This is good news to particularly farmers and others who had directly been affected by the ban, which was taken to help contain the deadly Rift Valley Fever (RVF) that has killed scores of cows in recent months. Both local and central government authorities deserve commendation for working hard to ensure the disease is successfully brought under control in a relatively short time. The outbreak and restriction on livestock movement posed a serious threat to the welfare of citizens and news that the government had contained the situation and the ban subsequently lifted will have come as welcome news to those who bore the worst brunt of the RVF outbreak. RVF is an acute fever-causing viral disease commonly observed in domesticated animals but it can also attack wild animals such as buffaloes as well as humans. According to World Health Organisation, Rift Valley Fever is caused by a virus transmitted by mosquitoes and blood feeding flies. The latest outbreak, that mostly hit Ngoma, Kirehe and Kayonza districts, resulted into the death of scores of cows, while hundreds others aborted or had their milk production significantly reduced. However, it was reported in the media that the disease could have been kept at bay had local authorities vaccinated cows in their respective areas in time. Going forward, it is important the recent outbreak serves as a lesson to all involved so as to avoid similar preventable outbreaks in the future. Each district and sector in the country should be given a strict target to ensure that animal vaccinations are conducted fast enough – and professionally – to avoid the kind of losses incurred as a result of the latest outbreak of Rift Valley Fever.
