FAO and partners develop joint strategies for PPR control in East Africa

FAO works with development partners in East Africa to map out strategies to curb the economic damage caused by the deadly peste des petits ruminants (PPR), also known as ‘goat plague’ […]

New locust alert for northwest Africa

FAO warns of impending threat

FAO has alerted Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco to prepare for the likely arrival of Desert Locust swarms from the Sahel in West Africa in the coming weeks.  [...]

FAO: higher risk of Rift Valley Fever with heavy rainy season ahead

FAO is advising veterinary services in sub-Saharan Africa to intensify surveillance for Rift Valley fever (RVF), which is a mosquito-borne zoonosis – affecting both animals and humans. Rift Valley fever in the past has often only been detected once human cases occur. However, by heightening surveillance [...]

Vaccines boosting defenses against deadly livestock disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Vaccination teams have fanned out across Masi-Manimba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to vaccinate goats and sheep against peste des petits ruminants. As increasing numbers of animals are vaccinated, however, [...]

Foot-and-mouth disease diagnostics key first step in disease control

A training on the laboratory diagnosis of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was held in Accra from 17-21 September. The course involved drawing from various fields of expertise and contributions from among members of the network of labs known as RESOLAB in West Africa and its FMD sub-network, [...]

Vaccination campaign against peste des petits ruminants in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Bandundu province

500 000 animals to be vaccinated

Up to now, 177 000 animals have been vaccinated and 323 000 more will be vaccinated during the next two phases of the FAO project. 

Only one month after the official launched of the project “Emergency assistance for the control of peste des petits...

African Swine Fever recent developments - timely updates

Worrisome dynamics: Steady spread towards unaffected areas could have disastrous impact
 
African swine fever (ASF) is now established beyond Africa, in the Caucasus and the Russian Federation, where it is having a particularly devastating impact on small-scale pig farmers, who are losing a valuable protein source and cash income....

Pig disease outbreak in Ukraine a major warning sign

Rapid spread of African swine fever due to human activities, including “swill feeding” 

21 August 2012, Rome - Following the first-ever detection of African swine fever in Ukraine, FAO is warning that while control measures appear to have temporarily halted the disease's spread, it has established a firm foothold in the...

Call for countries to comply with moratorium on research using live rinderpest virus

FAO/OIE move underpins next steps to ensure the lethal livestock disease remains eradicated for good

23 July 2012, Rome/Paris - FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) are calling on countries to comply with a global moratorium on research that involves working with live rinderpest virus in laboratories.

FAO and...

Niger and Mali work to contain the Desert Locust threat

Locusts multiply with good rains, pose threat to pastures and croplands

17 July 2012, Rome ­- The Desert Locust threat to pastures and croplands in Niger and Mali is growing after swarms of the insects arrived in the north of the two countries last month from Algeria and Libya.