A highly contagious animal disease also known as peste des petits ruminants (PPR), affecting sheep and goats is being targeted for eradication by 2030.
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), is a viral disease of goats and sheep characterized by fever, sores in the mouth, diarrhea, pneumonia, and sometimes death. Caused by a morbillivirus, PPR infection has been noted among cattle and wild ruminant although goats and sheep remain the common victims.
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While explaining the sum of US$340 million is needed to eradicate PPR, The head of FAO’s Emergency Prevention System for Animal Health, Eran Raizman noted that cooperation among nations is needed to achieve this objective.
According to FAO, there are over two billion susceptible small ruminants in the world of which 80% can be affected by the highly infectious PPR. Eliminating the disease is a key contributor to ending poverty and hunger on a global scale.
In Southern Nigeria, goats play a significant socioeconomic role in the life of rural people; there has been a report of high mortality of goats especially the kids under one year.
Pest des petits ruminants (PPR) was found to have occurred annually from between 2008 to 2012, with the highest incidence recorded in 2012 in Bayelsa and Rivers States at a frequency of 22% and 26 % respectively.
A research conducted at the University of Maiduguri suggested that the mobility rate of unvaccinated Sahel goats was 63% and mortality rate 17%, giving a case fatality rate of 27%.
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