What to do when goat plague hits your farm

Dear Dr Othieno

I have a small ranch where I keep about 200 goats. I read in the papers that goats in my area were being vaccinated against PPR. I am yet to vaccinate mine though. My question is what is PPR and how can it be prevented? Since my goats are enclosed do, they have a risk of being exposed to the disease?

[William Leshan, Narok County]

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Thank you, Mr Leshan for that question. Yes, currently there is a PPR vaccination campaign going on in a number of counties. The exercise is being undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

In February, the team comprising the CAS Dr Linah Jebii Kilimo, Director of Veterinary Services Dr Obadiah Njagi, FAO country representative Carla Mucavi and Narok Governor Samuel Tunai were in Narok to launch the vaccination and donate PPR vaccines. I have emailed you the contacts of Dr Alex Sabuni who is based in Ololung’ah and he will help you get your shoats vaccinated against PPR.

PPR is an abbreviation for a French word - Peste des Petits Ruminants which translates to pest of small ruminants. Small ruminants is a term mainly used to describe shoats – goat and sheep.

The disease is also known as goat plague. Because goats support many households in arid and semi arid areas, an outbreak of PPR causes a lot of economic disruptions.

What is PPR?

PPR is a highly contagious (easily spread through a herd) viral disease of domestic and wild ruminants. Goats and sheep appear to be equally susceptible to the virus, but goats exhibit more severe clinical disease. The virus also affects several wild small ruminant species.

Cattle, buffalo, and pigs are only sub clinically infected. Once introduced into a herd, the disease can spread to almost all the animals therein and will kill quite a number (about 70 per cent) of infected animals.

Death occurs within 10 days after infection. The disease is devastating not only to sheep and goats but also to farmers who suffer losses and national economics that cannot trade in such livestock and livestock products.

How is PPR spread?

PPR is transmitted when a sick animal is in close contact with other animals and their aerosols. Confinement therefore seems to favour transmission. Mixing of herds for example at watering points, grazing and livestock markers also favours the spread of the disease. Livestock traders also spread the disease through movement of animals from one area to the other.

Clinical Signs of PPR?

Diarrhoea, excess nasal discharge and tears, red mucus membranes, restlessness, dry skin coat, wound in the mouth, lack of appetite are the most common signs in goats and sheep suffering from PPR. Affected animals will also have a fever. When a postmortem is done on the animal, inflammatory lesions will be spotted in lungs, stomach and intestines.

How is PPR controlled or prevented?

PPR is a notifiable disease which means that whenever it is suspected, or an outbreak has been reported the veterinary officers must be informed about it.

Fortunately, the disease is being targeted for eradication globally.

FAO and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) have developed an eradication strategy through vaccinations by 2030. If this happens then it will be the second after rinderpest.

There is no specific or recommended treatment of PPR, but treatment of secondary bacterial and parasitic conditions can help reduce mortality. 

There is an effective vaccine against sheep and goat pox which confers a livelong immunity to a vaccinated animal. The eradication is premised on availability of a potent vaccine and the close relation between PPR and rinderpest means that lessons learned during the eradication of the later can be applied.

[The writer is the Vet of the Year Award winner and works in the Division of Communication and Vet Advisory Services within the Directorate of Veterinary Services; [email protected]]