No Strange Disease Affecting the Poultry Industry in Masaka
August 6, 2024 – Entebbe, WAKISO: On Thursday August 1st, 2024, our attention was brought to an audio that had gone viral on social media regarding a discovered dump of carcasses of dead birds in Masaka District claiming that there was a strange disease affecting poultry birds in the district and warning the public from consuming chicken. The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries Animal Health department and College of Veterinary Medicine dispatched scientists to pick up samples from the district and efforts were also undertaken to clear the grounds with the district leadership.
Preliminary tests from samples picked from Masaka that had earlier been sent through the hub system have turned negative for New Castle Disease, Avian Influenza and Infectious Bursal Disease. A postmortem conducted on the dead birds that were traced to one farm had glaring evidence of the injection of oxytetracycline (suspected high dosage) into the dead birds to treat pneumonia caused by congestion of the birds in their houses. The farmer attributed this to a “veterinary” doctor and later admitted that when the birds died, they proceeded to dispose of the birds in the field in which members of the public later found them.
The General Public is hereby reassured that there is no strange disease affecting the poultry industry. Poultry farmers are advised to consult qualified veterinary doctors when handling their birds’ health and to take care when using antibiotics. The Public is also further advised to disregard the audio message that went viral last weekend as it is not representative of the poultry industry and therefore misleading.
Uganda’s total poultry population is on a trajectory increase with chickens being the majority. According to UBOS, 2024, chickens are estimated to be about 57.8 million and of these, 17.4 million are exotic breeds. Buganda North and Buganda South had the highest number of hens laying estimated to be 2.04 million (31.8%).
Poultry contributes to improved human nutrition and food security by being a leading source of high-quality protein in the form of eggs and meat. It acts as a key supplement to revenue from crops and other livestock enterprises and has a high potential to generate foreign exchange earnings through the export of poultry products to neighboring countries. ENDS.
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For Further Information, please contact:
Dr. Anne-Rose Ademun
Ag. Director, Animal Resources/Commissioner Animal Health
0772 504746
Or:
Charlotte B. Kemigyisha
Public Relations Manager
0757779992