One million three hundred thousand livestock have been vaccinated in Karamoja Region after a smart vaccination exercise launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Government of Uganda in September 2015.

The exercise is one of the FAO interventions on livestock health in Karamoja Region and is part of a DFID funded and FAO implemented Enhanced Resilience Programme (ERPK) in Karamoja Region.

The campaign aimed at controlling and preventing Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) in the region and was embraced by pastoralists whose main source of livelihood is livestock, which has been threatened by such diseases. The Karamoja cluster is home to a significant percentage of the national herd – with over 2.5 million head of cattle, 2.3 million goats, and 1.8 million sheep.

The exercise targets 1.5 million animals, including cattle, goats and sheep. During the campaign, dubbed "Strategic Livestock Vaccination Programme" and funded by the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID), 500,000 cattle will be vaccinated against Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), 240,000 cattle against Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), 1,000,000 goats and sheep against combined Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) and Sheep/Goat Pox, and 400,000 goats against CCPP. To date, 1.3 million have been vaccinated, and more animals are expected to be vaccinated by the closure of the programme.

The vaccination was done alongside deworming, spraying and treatment of vector-borne diseases like Trypanosomosis, Babesiosis, Anaplasmosis, East Coast Fever and Heart Water, according to Dr. Edward Okori, FAO National Livestock Programme Officer. "By vaccinating animals in this region, we are not only controlling and preventing future outbreaks in Karamoja, but preventing the spread of these diseases to other areas of the country," said Alhaji Jallow, FAO Country Representative for Uganda. Mr. Jallow further emphasized that livestock diseases, such as FMD and CBPP, increase the vulnerability of the already fragile region.

Many small holder farmers suffered both direct and indirect losses due to infections and cost of treating sick animals. This also contributed to low production of milk and beef in the region. "This vaccination exercise also serves as an intervention for building resilience and securing livelihoods in the region, a cause the FAO is committed to support," Mr. Jallow reiterated.