Uganda moves closer to domestic foot-and-mouth disease vaccine production amid outbreak concerns

Uganda and Egypt are finalising plans for a vaccine manufacturing plant to combat persistent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, aiming to reduce reliance on imports and strengthen livestock health response.

Uganda is edging closer to domestic production of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, in a move that could reduce dependence on imports and improve response times to outbreaks across its livestock sector.

Agriculture minister Frank Tumwebaze said during a visit to Cairo on 26 July that Uganda and Egypt were finalising plans for a manufacturing plant, including a timetable for construction. The project builds on a 2024 partnership between Uganda’s National Agricultural Research Organisation and Egyptian counterparts, with Cairo expected to provide technical expertise and production capacity.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 40 Ugandan districts reported outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in 2023, with further cases recorded in 2024 and 2025. The disease, which affects cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, has caused substantial economic damage for farmers, even if adult animals rarely die.

Uganda launched its first nationwide mass vaccination campaign against the disease in July 2026, targeting about 46.5 million susceptible animals in two annual rounds. Egyptian researchers are expected to help train Ugandan scientists, with the goal of eventually producing a quadrivalent vaccine covering the four serotypes circulating in the country.