Veterinary & Biosecurity
Antimicrobial Awareness Resistance Awareness Week, 18th-24th November, 2022: “Public Cautioned on Self Medication & Misuse of Drugs”
By Joseph Odoi
Assoc. Prof. Lawrence Mugisha from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Bio Security (CoVAB), Makerere University has cautioned the general public on self-medication and misuse of drugs.
This call comes at a time when microbial infections are becoming increasingly resistant to available drugs under the scientific phenomenon known as Antimicrobial resistance
According to WHO, Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance,antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.
While gracing the Antimicrobial resistance Awareness Week Dialogue (AMR) held at Hotel Africana, Kampala Uganda, Prof. Lawrence Mugisha said Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise locally and globally mainly due to over consumption and misuse of antimicrobials thus need for urgent attention.
‘’Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise locally and globally mainly due to over consumption and misuse of antimicrobials. Self-medication is now rampant in low and middle-income countries especially here in Uganda where antimicrobials especially antibiotics are accessed over the counter in pharmacies and drug shops without a prescription throughout the country.
There are wide malpractices among professionals dealing with drugs despite the existing regulations and guidelines for prescriptions. The majority of the consumers and end users are not aware of the consequences of just taking antibiotics, taking low doses, not finishing the dose while dealing with conditions that have not been properly diagnosed.
There are a number of misuse practices with antibiotics that have not been well explored and discussed publicly like sharing of antibiotic doses among family members, use of antibiotics meant for human treatment in animals and vice versa.
In livestock practice, the situation is worse especially when antibiotics are used for disease prevention in feeds and water, a common practice in poultry farming. These malpractices and misuses in using antimicrobials require urgent attention in all efforts to addressing antimicrobial resistance challenges’’ explained Prof. Mugisha.
‘’We require massive campaigns to raise public awareness on the dangers and consequences of the inappropriate use of antibiotics and appropriate actions expected from every actor at different levels. The package of different actions to address antimicrobial resistance should be universal using one health approach’’ he recommended moving forward.
In his remarks to mark the overall Awareness event held at Nakasongola District, Mr. Musa Ssekamatte on behalf of the National One Health Platform (event organizers) welcomed participants to the event. He noted that the main purpose of the World Anti-Microbial Awareness Week is to increase awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and promote best practice among the general public to reduce emergence and spread of drug-resistant pathogens.
Citing the WHO report, Mr. Sekamatte noted that AMR is one of the emerging public health challenges that if left unchecked will contribute to 10 million deaths per year.
To address this problem, Mr. Sekamatte revealed that a national one health platform was established to enable Uganda implement the National Action Plan against AMR. The National One Health Platform enables different sectors to work together in prevention, detection and control.
As part of the national action plan against AMR, He highlighted the following
- Awareness
- Surveillance
- Training
- Research
In his remarks, Muyanja Elaad -the secretary for health and Education at Nakasongola representing the Resident District Commissioner thanked National One Health Platform for handpicking Nakasongola as a host District for this year’s AMR Awareness Celebrations. He noted that AMR is now a serious concern adding that AMR touches everyone thus need for a multi-sectoral approach. He called upon all participants to be patriotic by observing hygiene in human health and animals, proper eating habits.
During the long week WAAW sessions, participants were introduced to some of the strategies to promote responsible uptake of antimicrobials and innovations and safe practices aimed at lowering uptake of antimicrobials in plants, animals and humans among others. The Awareness Week attracted notable government officials namely; Nsamba David-Nakasongola District Fisheries Officer, Uma Charles, the Chief Administrative Officer at Nakasongola and Nakamya Sarah –the Nakasongola District Production Officer among others. The day’s activity was coordinated by Dr. Ssekamatte of the One Health Platform . To read about how to prevent AMR visit: https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1330872/icode/
Veterinary & Biosecurity
Makerere University Hosts Stakeholders Workshop on One Health approach to understanding Climate Change and Zoonoses
By Joseph Odoi
On January 30-31, 2025, Makerere University in partnership with Glasgow, UK and University of Stockholm, Sweden with support from Europe’s CIVIS University Alliance, organized a multi-disciplinary workshop at Kabira Country Club, Kampala, Uganda entitled “One Health and Diagnosing Zoonoses – Understanding the Importance of Climate Change in Disease Prevalence.” The event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including academicians, researchers, and practitioners, to collaborate on addressing public health challenges at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health.
The workshop was organized and officially opened by Associate Professor Lawrence Mugisha from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources, and Biosecurity (CoVAB), Makerere University alongside Professor Jonathan Cooper from the University of Glasgow, who led the CIVIS Alliance team to Uganda.
In his opening address, Prof. Mugisha welcomed participants and outlined the key objectives of the workshop. He noted that the primary aim of the workshop was to build new pathways for knowledge exchange and strengthen One Health capabilities within Uganda and East Africa in order to develop a better understanding of the role of climate change in disease dynamics (including zoonoses) in humans and animal health and their wellbeing.
Furthermore, the workshop sought to explore the regional links between zoonotic disease prevalence and climate change by using appropriate digital tools/systems that will, in future, have the potential to be used more widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.
On the impact of Climate Change in Disease Prevalence, Professor Mugisha noted that the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) have all warned around the need to better understand the harmful effects of climate change on health and disease, especially in low-and-middle-income-countries with such effects readily seen with Sub-Saharan Africa suffering some of the worst impacts.
‘’Uganda is also considered as a ‘hot spot’ for emerging and re-emerging infectious disease epidemics. The country has experienced several epidemics including; Ebola, Marburg, Plague, Rift Valley Fever, Yellow fever and Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever. ‘’Many of these public health challenges arise from the interaction between humans-animals-environment and require a One Health approach as a collaborative effort of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally, to attain optimal health for people, animals, plants and the environment.’’ added Professor Mugisha.
In his remarks, Professor Jonathan Cooper from the University of Glasgow acknowledged participants and provided a brief background on the CIVIC University Alliance. He stated that under CIVIS, multiple universities collaborate to offer joint learning pathways, research opportunities, and diverse degree programs, creating a dynamic network where students and academics can move freely between institutions. Through this collaboration, they work together to address societal challenges, including One Health and climate change, while also developing real-world solutions. He also commended the collaborative efforts of Makerere University, particularly those of Professor Lawrence Mugisha, in working across multiple disciplines at local, national, and global levels to achieve optimal health for people, animals, plants, and the environment.
Prof. Mugisha delivered a keynote address on climate change and human health and highlighted how climate change is causing unprecedented threats to human health, driving emergence of new infectious diseases and exacerbating the existing ones in addition to fueling frequent occurrence of severe natural catastrophes like floods, hurricanes and wildfires. He reported as per World Economic Forum Report of 2024, that climate change is projected by 2050 to cause additional 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses worldwide. He called upon all stakeholders to act together through research, innovations and public directed interventions to reverse the potential impact of climate change. He provided examples of different research consortiums working together to contribute to finding solutions to address the impacts of climate on health of humans, animals and entire ecosystem. Highlighted Projects include DIDIDA-Improving disease diagnosis in Africa (Home – Didida), PREPARE4VBDS— A Cross-Disciplinary Alliance to Identify, PREdict and prePARE for Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases (prepare4vbd.eu) and recently funded DIDIDI- development of advanced, low-cost and deployable digital dashboards and diagnostics to understand how changes in climate are affecting the dynamics of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) and schistosomiasis in underserved rural community settings in sub-Saharan Africa
Dr. Frederick Monje, a focal person for the One Health Platform from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), provided a brief background of the National One Health Platform of Uganda. He stated that the platform was established in 2016 to serve as a multi-sectoral coordination mechanism aimed at addressing public health threats arising from the interactions between humans, animals, and the environment.
Dr. Monje emphasized that the National One Health Platform in Uganda plays a critical role in surveillance, early detection, and rapid response to outbreaks through collaborations with district health teams, universities, and research institutions. He noted, “One Health is one of the ways to prevent the next pandemic. We need to do a lot of preparedness to prevent cross-cutting public health threats from coming to us. We have developed a number of training and partnerships with universities and many stakeholders to achieve the One Health objective.”
In his presentation, Mr. Monje also cited the World Bank’s report, highlighting that globally, zoonotic diseases sicken 2.4 billion people annually, kill 2.2 million, and affect more than 1 in 7 livestock. The direct economic costs of zoonotic diseases are estimated at 20 billion dollars per year. He pointed out that Uganda, due to its proximity to the Congo Basin and other hotspots, faces significant public health threats from zoonotic diseases.
Mr. Monje further emphasized that the platform’s impact is evident in its district-level One Health teams, which have strengthened Uganda’s pandemic preparedness and response to zoonotic diseases such as Ebola, Rift Valley Fever, and anthrax. He reiterated that One Health is critical to preventing future pandemics, requiring continuous preparedness, collaboration, and policy development to safeguard public health.
In her presentation, Ms. Patricia Nyinguro- Principal Meteorologist at the Kenya Meteorological Department revealed that there is rising temperatures in Kenya, showing an increasing trend since 1961, particularly in semi-arid regions. Despite this, she noted that public perception of heatwaves is low yet rising temperatures are key drivers of heat-related mortality, morbidity, and infectious diseases.
Moving forward, Ms. Patricia emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in developing heat health action plans and called for the development of indicators to measure progress in climate change adaptation.
In a digital technologies session, Dr. Xin Guo from the University of Glasgow shared insights on mobile health platforms for diagnostics, including demonstrations of relevant applications. He showed how apps can help diagnose diseases, especially zoonotic ones, and improve healthcare, especially in areas that need better disease tracking and response.
Participants engaged in discussions on zoonoses, its impact, and the importance of the One Health approach. Key questions explored included: What are zoonoses? Why is One Health crucial? Who are the stakeholders involved, and how can zoonoses be effectively addressed?
Using the Double Diamond Methodology, participants in group discussions also identified the most pressing challenges that climate change poses or will pose on zoonoses, potential solutions, and the reasons why these solutions aren’t being implemented yet.
Key outcomes from the engagement included the drafting of a policy brief outline, which will guide future initiatives aimed at tackling public health threats.
The workshop also tackled important issues such as data interoperability, data ownership and management, and ethics and privacy. These topics were thoroughly explored during structured discussions, with a particular focus during the Early Career Researcher (ECR) session.
Dr. Paul Mbanka, Assistant Commissioner of Health Services, outlined the Ministry of Health’s commitment to addressing Zoonoses related cases citing presence of an incident management system, which includes an SMS-based mechanism for reporting diseases to the emergency response center. Upon detection of an alert, the information is verified, samples are collected, and if confirmed, a response is initiated. In terms of areas for improvement, Dr. Mbanka acknowledged the challenge of information sharing across various sectors. When asked about Data sharing by workshop participants, He also stated that the Ministry of Health is open to sharing data with researchers, provided it supports the Ministry’s goals
The two-day workshop concluded with an emphasis on the critical need for continued collaboration in the One Health sector. Participants, including Researchers, Academicians, PhD and Master’s students from Makerere University, and Uganda and Kenya registered students at Glasgow University made presentations and also engaged in strategic discussions on tackling zoonotic diseases, climate change, and the integration of digital innovations in health data management.
To conclude the workshop, Prof. Lawrence Mugisha, Professors Julien Reboud and Jon Cooper of the Makerere University and University of Glasgow respectively expressed their appreciation to all participants for the insightful presentations, discussions and emphasized the importance of ongoing partnerships across human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
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