Let's Eradicate Sheep and Goat Plague (Peste des petits ruminants)

The ground has been broken on a major international initiative to rid the world of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) – also known as sheep and goat plague – a highly viral animal disease that causes major losses in regions home to millions of the world’s poorest people. Since it was first identified in Côte d’Ivoire in 1942, PPR has spread to some 70 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia -- in September 2016, Mongolia reported its first-ever case of PPR. Over 80 percent of the world’s sheep and goats are found in these regions, where many families rely heavily on products like goat milk, mutton and wool for their nutrition and livelihoods. FAO estimates some 300 million small-scale farming families worldwide depend on small ruminants for food and income. In all, the annual damage due to PPR is estimated to be between $1.4 and $2.1 billion.