ISAVET Cohort 5 Graduates pause for a photo with the State Minister for Animal Industry, FAO Country Rep in Uganda, trainers and facilitators, in Kampala recently

For years, Paul Mbago, Principal Veterinary Officer at Kamwenge District Local Government, struggled with field epidemiology in practice. However, his approach changed after completing the In-Service Applied Veterinary Epidemiology Training (ISAVET) program.

"I didn’t take surveillance and reporting seriously," Mbago admits. "But through ISAVET, I learned that effective surveillance must be followed by proper reporting. I also realised the importance of laboratory tests before administering antibiotics."

Mbago is now one of the many veterinary professionals benefiting from the ISAVET program's hands-on training.

Implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) together with the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), ISAVET is a four-month program that equips animal health workers, such as veterinarians, para-veterinarians, and laboratory technicians, with disease detection and response skills.

The program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), equips professionals with skills to build animal health capacity, improve preparedness, rapid response, efficient detection, reporting and control of zoonotic and transboundary animals. On August 30^th, thirty veterinarians, para-veterinarians and laboratory technicians from 25 districts in Uganda graduated in a colorful ceremony in Kampala.

During the graduation, Antonio Querido, FAO Representative in Uganda, noted that over 70 percent of the disease burden facing humans originate from animals, which calls for a robust and holistic approach to animal health.

‘We need a one health approach to ensure that we have the capacity to identify and respond to the challenges of zoonotic diseases,’ he said.

‘There is a critical need to build comprehensive, integrated strategies and policies for veterinary human resource development to ensure timely and effective disease detection and response for emerging and re-emerging infectious and transboundary animal diseases.’

Daniele Nyirandutiye, USAID’s Mission Director for Uganda, commended FAO’s commitment to strengthening Uganda's animal health systems through the training of animal health workers to respond to emerging infectious diseases of animal origin.

‘An increasing number of people around the world are living in closer proximity to animals and coming into contact with these animals, underscoring the need for a program like ISAVET,’ she said.

Nyirandutiye reiterated USAID’s commitment to improved animal health, food security and better livelihoods. ‘This program is part of our larger initiative as the US government to strengthen the capacity of Uganda to respond to zoonotic diseases such as anthrax and others.’

Hon Bright Rwamirama, Minister of State for Animal Industry in Uganda, presided over the graduation. He expressed optimism that animal health workers will help address animal health challenges in Uganda through ISAVET and highlighted some challenges, such as poor tick management practices.

‘Some people, when (the) drug does not work, they add more (drug). When you add more medicine, you are hurting the animal and putting people at risk of consuming these chemicals. He noted that when a drug does not work, switch to another one, not increasing the dose.

Since the launch of ISAVET training in 2020, Uganda has made significant strides in strengthening epidemiological capacity, especially at district and sub-county levels. To date, 147 trainees have completed the program, alongside 18 trainers of trainees (TOTs) and 19 trainers of mentors (TOMs). These efforts are critical to enhancing the resilience of the livestock sector against transboundary animal diseases (TADs) and priority zoonotic diseases