Control and prevention of Peste des Petits Ruminants

It is an acute, highly contagious viral disease in goats and sheep. Goats are usually more severely affected than sheep. It is characterized by high morbidity and mortality rates: in unprotected animals the morbidity could reach 100% and mortality may vary from 20 to 90% even 100% in severe outbreaks, particularly in goats.PPR is caused by Morbillivirus (family Paramyxoviridae) antigenically close to Rinderpest: So Cross-immunity is high and the clinical signs are similar to those of Rinderpest, but PPR is characterized by bronchopneumonia: respiratory trouble with cough.PPR was first described in Ivory Coast, West Africa in 1942. In the 1980-1990s, the disease was described in countries in the Middle East, including Iran. PPR disease spread westwards to Turkey (1994) and Afghanistan (1996).As viral disease, there is no specific treatment and the control policy is decided by the Veterinary Services since PPR is under regulatory control.Generally speaking, treatments are not at all recommended. In affected farms, the philosophy is to eliminate the infected animals and to disinfect all materials in contact with the infected animals, and then restock.Prevention is based on standard measures of sanitary regulations (control the movement of animals, quarantine…). Vaccination with Rinderpest vaccine is not advised in order to avoid confusion with any possible Rinderpest epizootic outbreak. So homologous PPR vaccine is preferable, moreover, to avoid confusion when retrospective serological surveys are done.PPR-VAC™ is homologous modified virus vaccine against Peste des Petits Ruminants. Its freeze-dried form guarantees an important thermostability.It is used worldwide thanks to its strong immunity. It is used in sheep and goat at 1.0 ml per animal subcutaneously, regardless the age and weight of animals.PPR-VAC is very safe: even pregnant animals can be vaccinated. In recent publications, it has been observed that there are no clinical effects in vaccinated animals .Of course, vaccination is tool. If good and safe vaccine is involved in coordinated control strategy, there are good reasons to believe that the eradication of PPR is an achievable goal like Rinderpest