Poultry farmers and residents of Masaka City can now relax after recent tests confirmed that major bird diseases are not behind the recent poultry deaths in the area.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, and Fisheries announced that samples from affected birds tested negative for Newcastle disease, avian influenza, and infectious bursal disease. This follows widespread concern triggered by a viral social media audio on August 1, which claimed that hundreds of dead birds were found in Masaka City due to an unknown disease.
In response, the Ministry’s Animal Health Department, along with the College of Veterinary Medicine at Makerere University, sent a team to collect samples from poultry farms in Masaka. These samples were tested at the Uganda Virus Institute in Entebbe.
Dr. Anne-Rose Ademun, the acting Director of Animal Resources and Commissioner for Animal Health, confirmed on August 6, 2024, that preliminary tests had ruled out the three major diseases. The postmortem results suggested that the deaths may have been due to excessive use of oxytetracycline, possibly administered to treat pneumonia caused by overcrowding in the poultry houses.
The Ministry has advised poultry farmers to consult qualified veterinarians for bird health issues and to be cautious with antibiotic use.
In the wake of the initial scare, Masaka District authorities had imposed a restriction on chicken slaughtering to prevent the spread of the suspected disease, permitting slaughter only for commercial purposes in designated areas like Masaka Central Market and Nyendo Market. This allowed veterinary doctors to monitor the process closely.
Masaka City Health Inspector Mr. Musa Maberi announced that the city task force will review the situation following these test results and continue to monitor poultry health closely.
“We were very concerned that this disease might decimate our poultry, but this news is a significant relief and encourages us to keep our businesses running,” one local farmer said.
The scare comes just a few years after a 2017 avian influenza outbreak in Bukakkata Sub-county, which resulted in thousands of bird deaths. However, the strain involved was less virulent than the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.
