SOS partners COCTU and COVAB, Makerere given Innovation Award for sleeping sickness control campaign
2013-12-12
The successes achieved by the Stamp Out Sleeping sickness (SOS) campaign in the control of sleeping sickness in Northern Uganda have been recognised by the Ugandan Ministry of Public Service which has awarded COCTU and COVAB, Makerere with the prestigious Collaboration and Networking across Government Award”. The Stamp Out Sleeping sickness (SOS) campaign is a public private partnership (PPP) that was launched in Kampala, Uganda in October 2006.
The Award recognises where two or more government institutions
or teams have excelled through collaboration and networking to
improve public services. The SOS partnership
stakeholders include the College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal
Resources & Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere, Uganda and the
University of Edinburgh (supported by UK Department for
International Development), UK, IKARE, a venture philanthropy
charity supported by IK Investment Partners and Ceva Santé Animale,
a global veterinary health company, who in 2006 signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with COCTU (Coordinating Office for
Control of Trypanosomiasis in Uganda).
The SOS campaign provided emergency treatment to around 500,000
cattle in several districts in Northern Uganda. By controlling the
disease in cattle, who act as a reservoir for the disease which is
transmitted by tsetse flies, it is possible to greatly reduce or
stop transmission to humans while also protecting the animals.
The innovative approaches of the PPP included, for the first
time, engaging young veterinary students from Makerere to carry out
the interventions in the districts of Dokolo, Kaberamaido, Soroti
etc. Other key building blocks are educating and teaching
both farmers and key stakeholders on sleeping sickness and
the links between animal health and human health, ensuring
the availability of treatments and preventive spraying through the
roll out of private veterinary services (self-employed 3 V vets and
spray persons advised and supported by High Heights Services Ltd.,
a private company involved in the animal health services sector in
Uganda) in these rural areas thereby enabling farmers and
communities to treat their cattle on a regular basis. More than 125
new jobs have been created in the process.
The award will be presented at the Innovation Award Ceremony
during the 2nd Public Sector Innovation Conference which takes
place 9th-10th December, 2013 in Kampala. The SOS
stakeholders will be represented at the ceremony by Professor
Charles Waiswa, Executive Director COCTU, Professor John David
Kabasa, Principal COVAB and Professor Ian Maudlin, University
of Edinburgh.
Professor Charles Waiswa, speaking on behalf of the SOS
stakeholders, said: "We are all honoured that the dedication and
hard work of all those involved in the SOS campaign - not the least
from the young vets, spray persons and students undertaking the
field work - has been recognised by the Government of Uganda. The
success of this partnership has come from bringing together
resources from both the public and private sectors - an arrangement
brokered by the Government Agency, COCTU. Having now developed best
practices in dealing with the age old problem of sleeping sickness,
the partnership aims to move forward to remove the threat of this
disease from the whole of Uganda."
Some key facts and figures about SOS
Uganda:
- 500,000 cattle treated in 7 districts in Northern Uganda
- 1,175 sleeping sickness cases averted in the area since SOS
launch in 2006
- Savings on DALYs (or additional GDP contribution) an estimated
10,7 MUSD (1,075 x 25 DALYs x 365 USD)
- 5 veterinarian entrepreneurs operating commercially viable
veterinary practices
- 125+ self-employed spray persons offering cattle spray services
in these communities
- Cattle savings of approximately 6 MUSD (estimated 5% less
mortality)
For further questions contact:
Professor Charles Waiswa, Executive Director COCTU, phone: +256
772 501 274 or email: hhsltd@yahoo.com
Professor John David Kabasa, Principal COVAB, phone + 256
772-499 027 or email: kabasajd@yahoo.com
Professor Sue Welburn, Assistant Principal, Global Health,
University of Edinburgh, phone + 44 131 650 6287
or email: sue.welburn@ed.ac.uk
Communication Director Martin Mitchell, Ceva Santé Animale,
phone + 33 557 554 080 or email: martin.mitchell@ceva.com
Senior Advisor Anne Holm Rannaleet, IKARE Ltd/IK Investment
Partners, phone + 46 70 378 9550 or email: anne.rannaleet@ikinvest.com
For further information on the SOS campaign:
www.stampoutsleepingsickness.com
