Small ruminants like sheep and goats are one of the most important economic and social assets of poor people living in rural areas worldwide. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is arguably the disease with the highest impact on small ruminants in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Consultations with a broad range of stakeholders through regional workshops have identified the need for a dedicated vaccination campaign. Shortages in vaccine production, lowered quality assurances or the inability to deliver the vaccines to meet needs in the field represent risks to the planned campaigns and would constitute a major challenge to progress in the time-bound 2030 PPR Global Control and Eradication Programme (PPR-GEP).
This is the second workshop held since the endorsement by the 24th Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Committee on Agriculture (COAG, 2014) for the establishment and implementation of the PPR-GEP - the first was in early October 2014 for revising the first draft of the PPR global strategy.
With FAO and OIE aiming to finalize the global PPR control strategy, this workshop, conducted within the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health (FAO-OIE) Global Framework for Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TAD), was a timely opportunity to discuss and address challenges regarding the use of quality and quantity of PPR vaccines to ensure the programme’s success.
Participants from 21 vaccine-producing laboratories attended the workshop in Kathmandu, Nepal from 1 to 3 December 2014.* Supported by international technical and research institutions including FAO and OIE, the workshop served to clarify a number of issues regarding vaccine production, including vaccine quality, quantity, distribution and related future research.**
Firstly, participants recommended that, in order to safeguard the quality of vaccines, manufacturers comply with international OIE standards. They also suggested establishing a certification process for thermostable PPR vaccines and that the outcomes of the ‘strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats’ (SWOT) analysis be used to improve vaccine quality. Furthermore, the Pan-African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (PANVAC) should increase its capacity to meet demands for international quality control of PPR vaccines by becoming the focal point for the submission and certification of batches of PPR vaccines. FAO must also investigate the possibility of establishing another quality control laboratory through the OIE laboratory twinning programme.
Secondly, increased amounts of PPR vaccine will be necessary in the near future. In order to provide the right quantities, countries must evaluate their PPR vaccine requirements over the next ten years with the overall objective of eradicating the disease. This needs to be done in accordance with their national strategies in order to ensure that the increased demands will be fulfilled by vaccine producers. Vaccine manufacturers need to prepare for increased production capacity also by considering the possibility of packaging small doses.
A third concern regarded the heat sensitivity of current vaccines and the need for their timely delivery. Manufacturers should continue to produce the current vaccine and consider adopting new formulations to provide thermostable products. All vaccines should be supplied with the appropriate diluent. Prior to the vaccination campaign, each country should establish a quality cold chain system and prepare standard operating procedures for the monitoring of vaccination and post-vaccination procedures. The workshop participants also observed that more consistent and effective vaccine use can be fostered through close involvement between vaccine producers and users.
Finally, in order to distinguish vaccinated from naturally infected animals, it is necessary to develop an effective and widely applicable Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) vaccine with companion serological tests. Participants also recommended investigating other research areas, in particular for the final eradication phase.
Participants appreciated FAO’s initiative of bringing together different vaccine producers and recommended that a similar workshop be established annually in order to monitor the implementation of the above-recommendations. The next appointment for the PPR-GEP will be in Côte d’Ivoire from 19 to 21 March 2015, where full attendance of PPR vaccine producers will be essential for the successful production of high quality vaccines. All participants committed to participating in the above events.
* Countries participating in the workshop included: Bangladesh, Botswana, Chad, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Jordan, Kenya, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Niger, Senegal, Sudan, Pakistan and Russia.
** Participating technical agencies included: Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVMed), Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Izatnagar-India, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)-Tufts University, Instituto de Biologia Experimental Tecnologica (IBET), MERIAL, Pan-African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (PANVAC) and Pirbright Institute.