Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the district Production department staff for Amudat, Kaabong and Karenga districts who helped us with community mobilization during blood sample collection. We are very grateful to Dr Ponsianah Akumu and other Mercy Corps Animal health personnel who helped to link the Investigators [DM and RT] with key project stakeholders (Key informants, communities, local government, and private partners) and provided investigators access to key project documentation which were necessary in the study design and subsequent implementation.
We also acknowledge the different field [Bariyanga Damascene, Dr Amanyire Wilson, Umutoniwase Gloria, Ongaba Timothy] and laboratory technologists [Kesiime Christine, Kanyike Fred] who helped with sample collection and analysis respectively
Lastly, we acknowledge the cattle owners and herdsmen of the villages where this study was carried out for offering their cattle and helping with their restraint.
Funding
This work was funded by Mercy Corps [collaborative research agreement: UGO1/MRT 0883/APOLOU/21 to RT&DM] with proceeds from their five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded food and nutrition security activity, Apolou, in Karenga, Kaabong, Kotido and Moroto Districts and their USAID/DFID-funded project aimed at Increasing Public and Private Investment in Animal Health Systems to Strengthen Productive Assets and Veterinary Governance for Improved Resilience in Karamoja (RCF) to inform livestock disease surveillance , response approaches and policies in Kaabong and Amudat Districts, Karamoja sub-region. The contents of this Manuscript are the responsibility of Authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States or United Kingdom Governments. The funding agencies [USAID, DFID and Mercy Corps Uganda Ltd] played no role whatsoever in the design, analysis and reporting of the study. However, MK who worked with Mercy corps when this study was designed and implemented approved the study designs by DM, RT and FNM.
Availability of data and materials
The raw data that were analysed to generate results presented and discussed in this manuscript are available from the corresponding authors on reasonable request.
Authors' contributions
DM and RT sourced the funding. DM, MK, HW, IM, FNM, and RT conceived and designed this study. DM, PE, HA, SA, JN, ATW collected blood samples and performed laboratory analyses. DM and JN completed statistical analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors critically reviewed this manuscript and approved its final draft to be published.
Ethics approval and consent to participate.
The study objectives were explained to district officials, communities, and individual farmers in all the study villages in Amudat, Kaabong and Karenga districts. All participating farmers signed a written informed consent form to participate; to take blood samples from their cattle and their cattle blood samples and sera therefrom to be stored for future use in related studies. Informed consent documentation was explained to participating farmers in their local languages [Pokot and Ngakarimajong]. Administrative clearances were obtained from participating districts [Amudat, Kaabong and Karenga] after explaining the study to the district veterinary production officers. Taking blood samples from cattle and the laboratory procedures conducted during the analysis of these samples followed the highest veterinary and laboratory practices. All methods used in the study during cattle restraint, blood sample collection, serum extraction and immune-detection of CBPP were carried out in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations as approved by the Makerere University School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources Institutional Animal care and Use committee (SVAR-IACUC) (approval number: SVAR-IACUC/72/2020) and the Uganda National Council of Science and Technology (approval number: NS163ES)
Consent for publication
Not applicable
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' information
1 College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda.
2 Faculty of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Busitema University, P.O. Box 236, Tororo, Uganda.
3Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry & Fisheries, PO Box 513, Entebbe, Uganda.
4Mercy Corps Uganda, P.O.Box 32021 Clock Tower, Kampala-Uganda.