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PPR: A continuing threat to farmers’ livelihood
They provide manure for fertilising crops, act as insurance for crop failure and drought, and contribute to national economic development and the overall well-being of communities. Small ruminants are often the most critical, and sometimes the only, asset some populations rely on for survival. In these communities, peste des petits ruminants (PPR) – the highly contagious viral disease that poses a severe threat to sheep, goats and certain species of wild ruminants – is devastating.
Never forgettable is the distress, disbelief and anguish in the faces of the women and men as they held their dying goats that they were relying on for so much – dying because of a disease that is 100% preventable. This is PPR – not just a virus but a destroyer of lives.
Dr Paula Menzies, President of the International Sheep Veterinary Association and board member of the International Goat Association.
Since its first identification in 1942, PPR has spread to more than 70 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, becoming entrenched in many regions. Losses caused by PPR, go beyond the infected animal, they include reduced productivity leading to lower herd income, loss of nutrition and even a lost way of life. “For nomadic herders, PPR is more than a disease – it threatens their livelihoods, food security, and cultural identity.” , says pastoralist expert Dr Amarsanaa Lkhagvasuren, “Small ruminants are central to their way of life.”
In 2015, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) launched the PPR Global Control and Eradication Strategy (PPR GCES) with the ambitious goal of eradicating the disease by 2030. Ten years on, we see that sustained, coordinated global effort remains as imperative as ever to ensure the eradication of PPR and to build resilience for communities reliant on small ruminants.
During a PPR outbreak in a Maasai area, I saw herders devastated from losing up to 10-20 goats per day in a flock of 600-1000 sheep and goats. In Burundi, I interacted with farmers who owned 5-10 goats each, and they were losing them to PPR, leaving them in distress as their kids couldn’t go to school anymore.
Dr Adama Diallo, PPR Expert and member of the PPR Advisory Committee.
The continued spread of PPR into new regions and its entrenchment in endemic areas, exacerbated by limited access to veterinary services for marginalised communities, make eradicating the disease challenging, but not impossible. Success depends on implementing key interventions like strict livestock movement, vaccination, education, investment in a well-equipped veterinary workforce and support to the communities most vulnerable to the disease.
Women and youth, in particular, are often the first to detect signs of illness in animals, as they are intimately involved in their daily care. Despite this, they remain underrepresented in formal veterinary systems, excluded from key decision-making processes and ill-equipped to respond to the disease effectively. “We must recognise, support, and elevate the voices of nomadic women and youth,” urges Dr Lkhagvasuren. “Women and youth are not merely beneficiaries of interventions. They are essential partners and leaders whose knowledge, care, and perspectives are vital to the success of the eradication efforts.” Dr Menzies echoes this sentiment adding, “Engaging nomadic livestock keepers—especially women and youth—is not optional; it is essential to eradicating PPR.”
When families are economically empowered, they can plan their lives better, they no longer strive to move long distances for survival, thereby reducing illegal livestock movement and, managing rural to urban migration, they can take their children to school, diversify their family incomes, take better care of the environment and indirectly contribute to addressing security challenges – particularly in the context of growing instability, climate change and other emerging threats.
Peste des petits ruminants is not only about sheep and goat’s morbidity and mortality, but also about livelihoods, nutrition, health and access to education and health care. As such, WOAH calls its Members to commit to enhance their collaboration and cooperation to implement harmonised eradication strategies to eliminate the disease. This can only be made possible when there is coordinated and harmonised resource mobilisation efforts. Peste des petits ruminants is a priority disease, and its elimination will depend on Members commitment and capacity to mobilize domestic resources. We urge governments and resource partners to position funding for its eradication as a priority. In doing so, we can safeguard livelihoods, strengthen food security, and build a resilient future for communities dependent on small ruminants for their livelihoods.
