PPR investigation and diagnosis training for animal health experts from the major regions (Photo: @FAO/Gijs Van’t Klooster)

20 June 2016, Ethiopia - The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is implementing a progressive control program against Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) in the lowlands of Ethiopia. Under the EU funded-project “Pursuing Pastoral Resilience through improved animal health service delivery in pastoral areas of Ethiopia”, efforts aiming at building the capacity of the federal, regional state and woreda level public veterinary services are underway, while models of a public private partnership are being tested.

Peste des petits ruminants is a highly contagious viral disease affecting sheep and goats that causes global losses from USD 1.45 billion to USD 2.1 billion each year. PPR is endemic in most of the lowlands of Ethiopia and frequent outbreaks in the highlands. A survey conducted in Siti Zone of Somali Region indicated that in areas where the disease is endemic, PPR is causing an annual mortality of about 10 percent among the young goats. The adult population is largely protected, either due to recovery from natural infection or due to vaccination.  PPR has been categorized by pastoralists as the number one killer of goats and to a lesser extend sheep in the lowland pastoral areas of Ethiopia. As the animal disease reporting system in the pastoral areas is not well established, small ruminant mortality figures are not well documented.