FAO launches a regional training diagnostic workshop on "Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR)" disease

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan launched today the first day of the Regional Laboratory Training within the framework of “Implementation of the Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) Global Eradication Programme (PPR GEP II) in Jordan, including assessment of risks, distribution and establishment of a reliable surveillance system”. Funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

The five-day workshop will be conducted by a mission of trainers from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna with the participation of veterinarians from Egypt, Turkey, and Jordan.

On behalf of HE Eng. Khaled Hnaifat, Minister of Agriculture, the Chief Veterinary Officer at the MoA, Eng. Issam Hawwa appreciated FAO’s continued cooperation with the livestock sector in the Ministry of Agriculture through implementing projects related to animal health and providing support for the development of disease surveillance systems through the use of comprehensive tools such as the Surveillance Evaluation Tool and conducting the joint risk assessment of the Tripartite Guide and the Surveillance Project.

FAO Representative in Jordan Eng. Nabil Assaf, said, “In 2016, FAO and the World Organization for Animal Health launched the Global PPR Eradication Program to achieve the “elimination of the disease” target in 2030, and a global strategy for the control and eradication of PPR was developed, based on the gradual decline in the incidence of peste small ruminants and its spread through targeted vaccination programmes.” He added “Currently, FAO, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, is implementing the activities of the “Global Eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in Jordan” program supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, including risk and prevalence assessment and establishing a reliable surveillance system for the disease to enhance national capacity in managing PPR from By improving understanding of disease risks, mapping its spread, and establishing a monitoring system in Jordan to build the capacity of the livestock sector to confront animal diseases and thus maintain livestock and food security.”