Uganda’s President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has Tuesday welcomed a contingent of specialised Cuban doctors which he met at State House, Entebbe, led by Dr Hector Luis Machado Morales.
The scientists are on a 10 day visit in the East African Country to liaise with indigenous experts to strategize on developing Gavac, a tick vaccine.
Arriving at Entebbe, the Cubans were in company of local scientists led by Prof. Anthony Mugisha. The group hails from Heber Biotec S.A, in Havana.
These scientists both foreign and local will coordinate, develop and import the vaccine under the arrangement to help monitor and evaluate its efficiency.
Arguably, Museveni notified tthat the Programme implementation will begin with the hard hit districts in the country targeting 500,000 cattle.
Reports indicate that 30% of the livestock in Uganda die of tick borne diseases.
State Minister for Animal Industry, Hon. Joy Kabatsi, has already constituted an inter-institutional team of scientists from Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, the National Agriculture Research Organisation (NARO), the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and National Animal Genetic Resource Centre, to work with the Cuban team of scientists.