The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) conducted an After-Action-Reviews for anthrax and Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreaks considered to have ended in May 2021. Both diseases are now endemic and outbreaks can occur at any time. This review, co-hosted with TDDAP (Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa Project), gathered participants including the National One Health Platform, the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) and the Uganda Wildlife Authority UWA). The Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC) and One Health Coordination Office (OHCO) were also central to this activity.

The aim of the after-action-reviews was to strengthen the animal health system to avert or ameliorate efficiency of reponse to further occurrences of anthrax and RVF, as well as to document successes, identify challenges, lessons learnt and to make recommendations for future improvements.

During his intervention, in representation of FAO, Willington Bessong Ojong, ECTAD Country Team Leader, affirmed that “these two diseases are among the many disease outbreaks that have occurred in Uganda since the beginning of this year with resultant loss of human and animal lives”. He further emphasized that “the country continues to experience unprecedented losses and impacts on livelihood due to disease threats. Rapid detection of animal diseases facilitates decision-making and reduces chances of disease spread, hence containment at source and minimising loss of income”. He finally thanked the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for supporting this activity through the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) project.

The Director of the Environment Affairs and Chairperson of the National One Health Platform, Collins Oloya, stated that “there was need to convene after-action-reviews to guide on the best approach to effectively control anthrax and RVF in humans, animals and their environment in Uganda”. He concluded that “this workshop will support the country to refine

roles and responsibilities of different actors in One Health, including advocacy at high-level policy decision making”.

FAO Uganda’s support to animal disease outbreaks

 Since 2016, the FAO Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) provides support to the Government of Uganda and its veterinary and health services to sensitize about anthrax, RVF and other priority zoonotic diseases (PZD) control and prevention. FAO and MAAIF worked closely with other stakeholders of the National One Health Platform to develop the National Anthrax Control Strategy that is in its final stages of approval. In addition, over the last three years, FAO supported outbreak investigation and response in a number of districts including (Kiruhura, Kazo, Kween, Kapchorwa, Arua, Kasese and Rubirizi). Regarding RVF, since 2016, the country experienced frequent anthrax outbreaks in Western Uganda and also in West Nile region and Eastern region. To mitigate the impact of this disease, FAO has supported the validation of a national RVF contingency plan, leave alone specific outbreak investigations and training of staff in Good Emergency Management Practices (GEMP) and other techniques.

Uganda, under the Tripartite arrangement of FAO, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) conducted a Joint Risk Assessment in 2019 and made specific recommendations. This workshop served to identify the progress made towards effective preparedness, response and control of key diseases.

However, in spite the numerous efforts to mitigate impacts of anthrax and RVF, no unified early warning system has been implemented or sustained management of emergencies, hence presenting life challenges to animals, humans and environment.

In this context, participants at this after review stressed the need to conduct effective coordination and collaboration between different sectors and disciplines established in the prevention and control of anthrax and RVF. They also agreed on the importance to list the factors responsible for success stories, good practices and challenges encountered as well as key recommendations for multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration in control of anthrax and RVF in Uganda.