Uganda advances plans to produce foot-and-mouth disease vaccines locally

UGANDA – Uganda is moving closer to establishing a local vaccine manufacturing unit for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) as part of efforts to strengthen livestock health systems and improve vaccine supply security.

Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze announced the development during a working visit to Cairo on 26 July, saying that Uganda and Egypt were finalising plans, including a timeline for the start of construction of the facility.

The project builds on a partnership launched in 2024 between Uganda and Egypt to develop domestic capacity to produce FMD vaccines through Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) with Egypt’s technical support.

Under the planned cooperation, Egypt will contribute expertise and existing vaccine production capabilities, including protection against three FMD virus serotypes found in Uganda: O, A and SAT 2.

Uganda will focus on developing vaccine production capacity for the SAT 1 serotype, which is also present in the country, with the two nations aiming to produce a quadrivalent vaccine covering all four virus variants affecting Ugandan livestock.

Egyptian researchers are expected to train NARO scientists on vaccine manufacturing methods and provide technical support during the development of the production facility.

The initiative comes as Uganda faces continued challenges from FMD outbreaks, a highly contagious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), more than 40 Ugandan districts recorded FMD outbreaks in 2023, with additional cases reported in 2024 and 2025.

Although the disease rarely causes deaths among adult animals, studies cited by local media indicate that it can result in calf mortality rates of up to 37.8%. Outbreaks have also been linked to significant economic losses for livestock farmers, including declines in household income and reduced sales of animal products.

To strengthen disease control measures, Uganda launched its first nationwide mass vaccination campaign against FMD in July 2026, targeting about 46.5 million susceptible animals through two vaccination rounds annually.

The country currently depends largely on imported vaccines, particularly from Egypt, to manage outbreaks. Authorities expect domestic vaccine production to improve availability and support faster responses to future disease outbreaks.

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