Lira, Uganda | Uganda’s livestock sector is set for a major breakthrough as the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) prepares to roll out NAROVAC, a pioneering vaccine designed to prevent deadly tick-borne diseases.
The initiative promises to significantly reduce livestock losses and bolster farmers’ incomes.
Tick-borne diseases currently cost the country an estimated Shs 3.8 trillion annually, through treatment costs, decreased productivity, loss of market value, and livestock deaths.
According to Dr. Fredrick Kabi, NARO’s principal investigator, these losses perpetuate poverty among smallholder farmers.
During a media training session in Lira City, Dr. Kabi highlighted the limitations of conventional acaricides, which have been used for over a century but are now less effective and pose environmental and food safety concerns.
“…NAROVAC is a safe and effective solution…,” Dr. Kabi said. “…It stimulates anti-subolesin antibodies that interfere with ticks’ blood feeding, block egg-laying, and prevent hatching, effectively breaking their life cycle. It works against multiple tick species and does not harm the animal or the environment…”
He added that Uganda now has the infrastructure and skilled personnel in place for mass production and distribution of the vaccine.
The project, which began in 2013, has received strong support from President Yoweri Museveni and the government through the ministries of agriculture and finance, which backed research, facility construction, and commercialisation efforts.
Experts say NAROVAC has the potential to transform Uganda’s livestock sector, reduce treatment costs, improve product quality, and enhance market access for farmers.
The vaccine rollout marks a significant milestone in NARO’s mission to promote livestock health and national agricultural productivity.
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