Makerere University: Promoting community-based primary barriers against emerging diseases: prioritisation of Ecosystem-based indigenous knowledge and defence approaches against avian influenza in prone communities of Uganda.

Across the globe, emerging epidemic and zoonotic diseases are causing heavy loss of life and money. A Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza strain (H5N1), is currently spreading through Asia, Europe and Africa causing deaths of millions of birds. The main loopholes in the public defence against these epidemics in Uganda are: the reactive (secondary / post outbreak) approach to the prevention of epidemic diseases, less ownership and involvement of local communities in epidemic disease prevention, and insufficient appreciation of the value and role of traditional indigenous knowledge mystical systems (prevalent in local communities) and their integration in epidemic disease prevention by livestock service providers. These combined lead to lack of a primary barrier at community level against epidemics occurrence. The goal of this project is to contribute to the enhancement of safety and wellbeing of avian influenza (AI) prone communities in Uganda through: (a) developing a community based primary barrier against emerging diseases using the management of AI in prone communities as a model, (b) enhancing the engagement of local communities in AI prone communities in the primary prevention of AI outbreaks, (c) enhancing the capacity of local livestock service providers to utilise Traditional Indigenous Knowledge Mystical Systems (TRIKOMS) as a cornerstone for AI epidemic prevention. These objectives will be attained by jointly developing and implementing intervention strategies within an innovation system framework. This will involve stakeholders whose activities are linked to the target communities, with the project action research team as the lead facilitators. The project will be piloted in the districts of Butaleja, Bugiri and Masaka, three farming communities in 3 different ecosystems with diverse epidemiological interfaces. Specific target communities will be identified using participatory approaches and will take into consideration, migratory birds movements, poverty mapping and building on what is on the ground.

Programme: Public Engagement in Science Projects

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