On 10 March 2022, the Ugandan veterinary fraternity came together in Jinja, in an OIE facilitated workshop to develop the national strategy on rabies elimination by 2030 . The OIE supported the process through a consultant expert to assist the stakeholders draw up and finalise on a national strategy for rabies elimination.
Stakeholders drawn from government, private sector, academia and industry came together to discuss the finalisation of the national strategy, that is set to be adopted in line with the global strategy on rabies elimination that was developed by the Tripartite FAO, OIE and WHO.
The Commissioner for Animal Health – representing the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries for Uganda – Dr. Anna Rose Ademun, in her opening remarks, emphasized the need for this strategy to be fast tracked and finalised to ensure that vaccines are available for Ugandans in the fight against this backward disease.
The representative of the Minister encouraged the private sector to be at the forefront of this campaign as they are the largest players in the veterinary health care delivery in the country. The government and international organisations are keen to support the strategy through partnerships and collaborations, she reiterated.
The OIE Representative for Eastern Africa, Dr Samuel Wakhusama highlighted the importance of this strategy for the region reiterating that Uganda, Rwanda and Eritrea are ahead in the process and will be used as benchmarks for other countries.
Furthermore, the process will help Uganda, Rwanda and Eritrea have a clear plan in linking the strategy to different actors to help appreciate the one health concept through a harmonised agenda.
