Veterinary & Biosecurity
Uganda Commemorates One Health Day with a call for a Multi-Sectoral Approach to address emerging health threats
By Joseph Odoi
On 3rd November 2022, Uganda joined the rest of the world in celebrating One Health Day. This year marks the seventh annual One Health Day, a global campaign that celebrates and brings attention to the need for a One Health approach to address shared health threats at the human-animal-environment interface.
One Health Day is an initiative that gives One Health advocates and practitioners around the world a powerful voice for moving beyond provincial approaches to emerging zoonotic infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental pollution, food safety, comparative/ translational medicine and many other problems, to a holistic, One Health, way of thinking and acting for the benefit of all living creatures.
While giving a keynote speech at Presidential Hall in Kampala under the theme “Our Planet, Our Health” at the Office of the President in Kampala, Dr. Lawrence Mugisha, an Associate Professor at Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio-Security (CoVAB) in a special way welcomed participants to the One-Health day celebrations. He noted that there’s urgent need for all sectors to work together if emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats are to be addressed.
“The challenges we face today whether health-related like emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases or public disasters like flooding, drought among others are complex, cross-cutting and cross different borders requiring one health approach which is multidisciplinary that facilitates collaboration, coordination and communication among different professionals/disciplines to address the public health events quickly. This helps to quickly identify appropriate interventions timely and use available resources effectively,”
Citing WHO data, Professor Mugisha noted AMR one of the emerging public health challenges which if left unchecked will contribute to 10 million deaths per year
To address these challenges, Prof.Mugisha recommended the following
- Raising public awareness about AMR and AMU
- Promoting water, hygiene and sanitation
- Enhanced AMR/AMU Surveillance in humans, animals and environment
- Investing in human capital for innovative research in vaccines and alternative therapeutic approaches like herbal use for the replacement of Antibiotic use.
In her presentation titled; Progress of Implementation of the anti-microbial resistance national action plan, Dr. Hellen Byomire Ndagije from National Drug Authority emphasized the importance of raising awareness to combat anti-microbial resistance adding that national drug authority has been holding Meetings to raise awareness of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among health workers in pharmacies, and drug shops both human and animal medicine use
As part of capacity building to address AMR, she supported strengthening the Medicine Therapeutic Committees (MTCs) in regional referral hospitals with logistical support and technical training on rational medicine use and pharmacovigilance. In terms of antibiotics demand, she noted Uganda currently imports over 50,000 kilograms which should call for close vigilance.
To promote optimal access and use of antimicrobials, she recommended regular and risk-based testing of imported antimicrobials and medical equipment to assure their quality. She emphasized the need for good distribution practice standards to guarantee that antimicrobials are restored and dispensed in a way that does not compromise quality or efficacy. She said there was need to promote good manufacturing practices (GMP) inspections for both foreign and local drug manufacturers to ensure compliance to quality standards of manufacture, in addition to enforcing compliance monitoring and support supervision of human and veterinary drug outlets to ensure compliance to drug regulatory requirements.
As a way forward, she made recommendations that included the strengthening of stakeholder engagement, awareness, training and collaboration. The need for improved access to quality, safe and efficacious antimicrobials was emphasized in addition to strengthening pharmacovigilance: reporting ADE (AMR surveillance)
Dr. Ndadije stressed the need to promote rational use of drugs as well as investing in research and innovations
In her presentation, Dr. Lydia Nakiire under the Project titled 7-1-7 timeliness at Infectious Diseases Institute, Global Health Security Program said the Ministry of Health conducted a pilot study, ‘To Save Lives’ through Infectious Diseases Institute to identify bottlenecks causing delays in detection, notification and response.
During the study, she said, it was observed that application of One Health during responses to public health emergencies was one of the major enablers for timely initiation of early response. ‘’Recent outbreaks like Ebola Sudan virus disease and COVID 19 make it necessary to review the lessons learnt from recent public health events, reevaluate approaches and develop frameworks to measure progress towards making the world safe from public health threats.
The 7-1-7 framework proposes timeliness matrix with defined targets; 7 days to suspected outbreak detection, 1 day for public health authorities to be notified and the investigation is initiated within 7days. The 7-1-7 metric can supplement existing capacity measurements of the International Health Regulations (2005), including the Joint External Evaluation and Global Health Security Index’ explained Dr. Nakiire.
In his presentation on behalf of Dr. Immaculate Nabukenya, Senior Project Manager, NAPHS A-Team Uganda Herbert Bakiika shared the progress of Implementation of the Uganda National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) and 2022 Operational Plan.
He noted there is progress in the following as mechanism of addressing AMR, and that the guidelines for mandatory license were drafted, but not approved. He further said that decentralizing One Health in 50 districts by 2024 to strengthen coordination of surveillance and response to zoonotic diseases was underway. Uganda committed to achieving demonstrated capacity in at least 3 technical areas by 2024.
He said the other milestone was licensing of all laboratories across animal, human, food, nuclear and chemical sectors by 2024 to strengthen the national laboratory network. On how this will be achieved, she said government was to liaise with professional councils to license laboratories in line with basic Quality Management Services (QMS)
Dr. Jonathan Mayito from Uganda Fleming Fund highlighted Inadequate human resources in the microbiology laboratories, Irrational and overuse of antibiotics, Lack of AMR data sharing across one health sectors, Lack of structures response to the emerging AMR epidemic as some of the challenges that needed to be addressed.
Moving forward, he recommended streamlining the supply of microbiology supplies by National Medical Stores, Increase human resources allocation through public service commission, data sharing agreement to enable data sharing to inform strategies and above all creating a National Task Force to investigate and respond to AMR alerts/outbreaks.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s Country Director, Bessong Willington emphasized the importance of capacity building to support timely intervention when addressing disease outbreaks. He called upon different sectors to work collaboratively and in a multidisciplinary fashion under the One Health Approach.
In his remarks read by Dr. John Opolot, Dr. Henry Mwebesa congratulated participants for marking the one-health day. He that 61% of all existing human infections in the past decade have been zoonotic including Ebola, HIV, and influenza and that 80 % of pathogens could potentially be used for bio terrorism.
In addition, to effectively strengthen One Health initiatives in Uganda, the Ministry of Health has embarked on roll out of the third edition of the integrated disease surveillance and response in over seven health regions using One Health approaches. The ministry, he said, also piloted integrated (both animal and human) sample transportation from communities using the hub transportation network using One Health Approaches.
On the importance of a multi-sectoral approach towards addressing public health challenges, Dr. Mwebesa emphasized the importance of involving all state and non-state actors including civil society and the private sector in one-health programmes.
In terms of government commitment, Dr. Mwebesa noted that The Ministry of Health will continue to support the One Health initiative, and currently government is funding division of veterinary public health and zoonoses which is supporting decentralization of One Health in over 30 districts to strengthen multi-sectoral emergency preparedness at sub-national level.
On current outbreak of Ebola, Dr. Mwebesa said The ministry of health shall continue to engage the National One Health platform in the current epidemic and urged all stakeholders to observe standard operating procedures to prevent the spread of Ebola virus disease. He equally thanked development, Implementing Partners and private sector partners for the financial and technical support towards the One Health initiatives as long forward to prevention, detection and response to emerging public health emergencies in the country.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
PREPARE4VBD Project Holds Final Workshop in Uganda; A Landmark in Vector-Borne Disease Preparedness
By Joseph Odoi
The final dissemination workshop of the EU-funded project: A Cross-Disciplinary Alliance to Identify, PREdict, and PrePARe for Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases (PREPARE4VBDs) was successfully held from May 5th to 8th, 2025 at Best Western Premier Garden Hotel, Entebbe, Uganda, marking the culmination of a five-year, cross-continental research effort addressing vector-borne diseases in the era of climate change and globalization.
The hybrid event attracted over 80 participants, including researchers, policymakers, health practitioners, veterinarians, early-career scientists, and students from Africa and Europe. The workshop featured two key sessions with; one at Best Western Premier Garden Hotel, Entebbe, and another at the Centre for Biosecurity, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB), Makerere University.
In his opening remarks, Professor Lawrence Mugisha (Uganda’s Co-Principal Investigator from CoVAB, Makerere University), officially welcomed all stakeholders and highlighted that the purpose of the workshop was to share research findings and engage stakeholders as the project wraps up. The project commenced in September 2021 and will end in August 2025.
Prof. Mugisha noted that the overall aim of PREPARE4VBD is to strengthen preparedness in Africa and Europe for emerging zoonotic vector-borne diseases, especially in an era of climate change and increasing global interconnectedness by (a) Creating a broad, and conceptual knowledge about vector-borne disease emergence and responses to climate change that reaches beyond specific diseases, vector species, borders or scientific disciplines (b)Improving prediction and preparedness in Africa and Europe for zoonotic vector-borne diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks and freshwater snails to livestock and humans under climate change and globalization.
In a project overview, the PREPARE4VBD Principal Investigator, Professor Anna-Sofie Stensgaard from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, noted that vector-borne diseases are on the move, accounting for 17% of all infectious diseases and causing 700,000 deaths across the globe each year. She emphasized that zoonotics can’t be isolated as a human or animal health issue.
“The problem is growing and they are on the move,” she said, pointing to increased outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever, Dengue, West Nile, Chikungunya, Fasciolosis, and Schistosomiasis.
Because of this, she noted that the project thought of the need for cross-cutting and in-depth knowledge to improve surveillance and build capacity for early detection, as vector-borne diseases respect no borders. This, she explained, justified the formation of a multidisciplinary team consisting of 10 complementary partner institutions in Europe and Africa.
In terms of approach, she noted that the project used a proactive approach that focuses on addressing VBDs at a lower level, rather than the usual reactive approach that tackles diseases after they present themselves in large numbers.
More specifically, Professor Anna-Sofie noted that PREPARE4VBD focused on four thematic areas aimed at
A) Building knowledge through baseline data collection of neglected tick-, mosquito-, and snail-borne VBDs of importance for animal and human health in endemic African countries.
B) Assessing their capacity to adapt and spread to new areas using a holo-genomics approach and state-of-the-art climate change impact modelling.
C) Developing novel, sensitive diagnostic tools and model-based surveillance for rapid VBD discovery and early warning.
D) Strengthening the capacity for detection and surveillance of the targeted VBDs through training, effective communication, and dissemination of freely available data.
As part of project activities, Professor Anna-Sofie shared that the project conducted
- Training of 4 MSc students and 11 PhD fellows, as well as early-career researcher summer schools in Uganda and Kenya.
- Engaging fellows in the poster sessions and technical workshops, such as molecular diagnostics and VBD modeling.
- Promotion of transdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange among partners across Africa and Europe.
In terms of key project achievements, she noted the project was able to achieve the following
- The development of a new AI-assisted Mini-FLOTAC microscope model.
- Creation of a model for Rift Valley Fever transmission and analysis of climate change impacts on snail-borne diseases.
- Discovery of an Ixodes tick species in Kenya, which was previously only known in Europe.
- Large-scale vector-snail warming experiments conducted across different climates, from South Africa to Denmark.
- Creation of a Global Vector Database (GVD) for centralized vector data collection.
- Development of non-invasive diagnostic tools, including PCR tools for pathogen detection in livestock blood/tick fluids, environmental DNA methods for liver fluke detection, and establishment of standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training videos, all publicly accessible online.
Research Highlights in Uganda
In terms of consortium research highlights from the VBD project in Uganda, Adriko Moses from the Ministry of Health shared a multi-stakeholder approach to mitigate risks of liver fluke infections, a zoonotic disease affecting humans and animals.
Six districts near lake basins were studied: Hoima, Buliisa, Apac, Lira, Jinja, and Mayuge. The study involved 300 human samples, with 2 positive cases identified. Findings also highlighted damaged livers in slaughtered animals.
To address this trend in Uganda, the following policy recommendations were made from the study
Policy Recommendations for Control and Prevention of Liver Fluke Disease in Uganda
- Strengthen meat inspection policy in Uganda, including livestock testing before slaughter and enhanced meat testing protocols.
- Promote vegetable hygiene to control zoonotic fascioliasis—a parasitic infection transmitted through contaminated food.
- Scale up veterinary interventions in livestock through collaboration between farmers and veterinary services.
- Establish surveillance systems to monitor infections among livestock.
- Increase community engagement to improve health education and foster community-led health initiatives.
Remarks from Government and Academia
Dr. Peter Wanyama, representing the Commissioner for Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), commended the consortium for selecting Uganda and recognized the threat of VBDs to both animal and human health, as well as national development. He noted the challenge of tick resistance, and that MAAIF is constructing 69 diagnostic laboratories to address emerging vector-borne threats. He emphasized the need for local knowledge, effective communication, and knowledge translation.
Dr. Allan Muruta, Guest of Honour and Commissioner for Animal Health Services at the Ministry of Health, welcomed the multidisciplinary team to Uganda on behalf of the Minister of State for Primary Health Care.
He thanked the consortium for a well-done multidisciplinary effort addressing the growing challenge of vector-borne diseases in Africa. As a technical officer in surveillance, Dr. Muruta appreciated the project’s clear planning and timely execution.
“Africa is endemic to zoonotic diseases but allow me to share what the Ministry of Health has done. Our Integrated Surveillance Department has set up coordinated responses to several public health issues,” he shared.
He welcomed the findings and policy briefs developed through the research, noting they are relevant, science-based, and practical. He said the Ministry of Health has clear structures for handling policy issues and committed to engaging further to ensure policy uptake and action.
“All the policy briefs are feasible, new, and based on up-to-date science. The Ministry will follow through to see these policies implemented.”
He further noted that Uganda already has a functional One Health platform bringing together directors from health, water, and wildlife sectors. However, he emphasized the need to strengthen data sharing across the sub-national level. The Ministry, he said, is engaging with different sectors to make this happen.
Dr. Muruta reaffirmed the Ministry of Health’s openness to more collaboration in tackling zoonotic diseases and strengthening the One Health approach.
Prof. Frank Mwine, Principal of CoVAB, Makerere University, welcomed participants and applauded collaborative efforts in addressing vector-borne diseases.
In his remarks at Makerere University, Prof. Frank Mwine welcomed the diverse participants and thanked Prof. Lawrence Mugisha for his proven coordination and mobilization around One Health. He acknowledged the growing threats posed by climate change and emphasized the interconnectedness of ecosystems citing how birds migrate from Europe to Africa—as a reason for cross-border collaboration.
He commended the PREPARE4VBD project team for their unique research and innovations aimed at addressing vector-borne diseases and appreciated the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme for supporting such a critical initiative.
Looking ahead, Prof. Mwine stressed the importance of training the next generation to strengthen preparedness and response efforts in the future.
In a cross-country experience-sharing session involving Côte d’Ivoire, Uganda, and South Africa, coordinated by Prof. Moses J. Chimbari (South Africa), participants agreed on the urgent need to integrate One Health into university curricula and bring together diverse disciplines to address vector-borne diseases caused by climate change and other complex factors.
In this engagement, there were a number of panel discussions revolving around translating policy recommendations into practical actions for long-term impact. Prof Lawrence Mugisha at this engagement announced that another dissemination on VBDs project outcomes will be held specifically for Students who were doing exams at the time of the Project dissemination
Workshop Highlights
Key research outcomes were presented, including the development of a Global Vector Database (GVD), AI-assisted diagnostic tools, and predictive climate-disease models.
The Entebbe session hosted high-level stakeholders, including representatives from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture, NGOs, and international research bodies. Discussions emphasized the importance of translating research into policy and action.
For outreach and dissemination, thirteen policy briefs were shared, alongside posters, infopacks, risk maps, peer-reviewed publications, newsletters, and fellow-driven blog posts all aimed at sustaining knowledge exchange beyond the project lifespan.
Notable to mention was the development of a knowledge co-production model under the project, titled “Knowledge Co-Construction in Stakeholder Engagement Workshops in Health Research” by Kathrin Heitz Tokpa, Lawrence Mugisha, Moses Chimbari, and Bassirou Bonfoh.
The project has notably enhanced Africa Europe scientific cooperation and empowered local institutions with tools and training to detect, track, and control emerging diseases.
About the Project
PREPARE4VBD is a multi-disciplinary consortium that brings together 10 university and ministerial partners from 5 African and 3 European countries, united to address a future with increasingly changing global patterns of zoonotic vector-borne diseases through a holistic, pro-active approach that reaches beyond specific diseases, vector species, borders or scientific disciplines.
Project partners included; Makerere University, Sokoine University of Agriculture, University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Naples Federico II, Swiss TPH, University of Bern, ICIPE, Uganda’s Vector Control Division, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, and Tanzania’s NIMR.
The project is part of Horizon 2020’s research and innovation actions (Grant agreement No. 101000365: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101000365) and is coordinated by the University of Copenhagen’s GLOBE Institute and Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
To read more about the project, visit the PREPARE4VBD website (www.prepare4vbd.eu), which offers key resources on vector-borne disease preparedness, including open-access tools, training materials, and research outputs to support continuous capacity building.
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Alumni of Molecular Biology Honor Prof. George William Lubega for Outstanding Contributions
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Uganda Advances Bacteriophage Research in Fight against Antimicrobial Resistance
Makerere University convened a symposium to explore bacteriophage applications in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and addressing health, agricultural, and environmental challenges. Organized by The Alliance for Phage Research and Development Uganda Ltd (PhageTeam Uganda), the event brought together researchers from Makerere University, Kyambogo University, Kampala International University, and Ian Clarke International University, and other players, highlighting a collaborative approach to tackling global and local issues.
Day two of the symposium saw researchers and policy makers together with partners from the UK and USA hold a discourse on the best way forward in the promotion of bacteriophage research and production in the country to support efforts against anti-microbial resistance.
Speaking at the event held at Hilton Garden Inn, Dr. Jesca Nakavuma, the lead phage researcher from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity (CoVAB), Makerere University, stressed the urgent need for alternative antimicrobial agents due to the rise in drug resistance and limited discovery of new antibiotics. Bacteriophages, natural viruses that target bacteria, she said, were identified as a promising solution to revolutionize disease control, treatment, and food security. She said research in this area was key because humankind was at risk of the impending calamity of life-threatening treatment failure.
Prof. Robert Wamala, Makerere University‘s Director for Research, Innovations, and Partnerships, who spoke on behalf of the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Barnabas Nawangwe, underscored the importance of building local capacity in phage research. He noted that such efforts could enhance Uganda’s resilience against AMR and yield homegrown solutions for human, animal, and crop health.
As the world grapples with the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), bacteriophage research offers a promising alternative. Phages, which are natural enemies of bacteria, have the potential to revolutionize the approach to treatment, disease control, and food security, he noted. He said building local expertise in phage application can enhance Uganda’s resilience against AMR and produce sustainable homegrown solutions to health and environmental challenges.
Prof. Robert Wamala said Makerere University was committed to supporting cutting-edge research and innovation that addresses national and global challenges in line with the university’s role in knowledge generation, technology advancement, and policy influence. The importance of regulatory institutions, he said, cannot be overemphasized in this endeavor, since they enforce compliance, uphold ethical standards, and foster an enabling environment for impactful research and innovation. He said the engagement presented an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between researchers, institutions, and regulatory bodies to ensure that the outcomes are scientifically sound and are aligned to the national development priorities and global best practices.
Dr. Claire M. Mugasa, the Dean of the School of Biosecurity, Biotechnical and Laboratory Sciences (SBLS), CoVAB reiterated the fact that antimicrobial resistance was on the rise in Uganda and Africa, more than elsewhere in the world. She said it was time now that efforts be intensified in looking for sustainable options to curb the dangerous trends. She said this cuts across the human and the animals. She said it was an opportune time for players to come together to find ways of getting the required alternative. She said by coming together, the different ideas developed individually would in a concerted effort, pulling resources together for a way forward.
During the discourse, several subjects were addressed, including an introduction to antimicrobial resistance, phage biology, phage application, and lessons learnt from the establishment of a phage research centre in the UK, which was presented by Prof. Martha Clokie from the University of Leicester. This initiative reflects a commitment to fostering innovation, collaboration, and regulatory compliance, positioning Uganda as a leader in sustainable solutions for global challenges.
The symposium was sponsored by Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF), through a grant to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in partnership with Phages for Global Health.
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