PPR in Sudan
I am happy to see your valuable inputs. I am just highlighting the PPR control in Sudan. The disease was first reported and confirmed in Sudan in 1971 in the Eastern part of the country (Gedarif area). Thereafter, outbreaks were reported from all over the country.
For the period 2000-2007, the disease was reported in many parts of the country, with the highest number of outbreaks (43.6%) reported in east Sudan (Kassala and Gedarif), bordering with Ethiopia and Eritrea, followed by Khartoum (19.5%), River Nile State (17.4%) and the rest of the States accounting for 19.5%. Then PPR is widespread and endemic in the country
Some of the overarching lessons learnt during rinderpest (RP) eradication include that: disease eradication is a long-term process, whose impacts diminish over time and therefore to keep all actors including development partners constantly mobilized against the disease is a critical challenge; control of TADs especially under nomadic and/or trans-humance pastoralism requires regional / ecosystem approach with enhanced coordination and harmonization among veterinary services of neighboring countries; focused strategic vaccination (immuno-sterilization) based on rigorous
epidemiological surveillance not only reduces wastage of scarce public funds but can also accelerate the eradication process; and building capacity of national veterinary service, particularly in epidemiology and laboratory diagnosis, is key in underpinning success.
The epidemiology and biology of PPR virus has much in common with RP virus. Thus, like RP, there is only one serotype and live attenuated vaccines give life-long protection against all strains of the virus. There is no carrier state. The virus does not survive for long outside the animal host: it is readily destroyed by heat, sunlight, chemicals and disinfectants. Thus, the virus needs a continuous source of new susceptible animals to survive. There are proven diagnostic tests.
The expertise, infrastructure and bigger animal health institution created during the successful eradication of RP can thus be utilized effectively in our Action Plan.
Adding that, the wildlife role is not as significant in our case and as concluded by Dr. Richard Kock, UK in a previous consultancy to Sudan, in spite of all opportunities, there are limitations which need to be addressed not only at national but also at regional level, the cross border movement with Eritrea and Ethiopia.
So this conference is a good opportunity to share programmes for starting this process of controlling PPR at sub-regional level and to develop a clear regional eradication pathway/roadmap as self assessment for our control strategies and to be prepared to join the proposed global eradication pathway. From the point of Sudan experience we have to build on the lessons learned from RP eradication and to have a global PPR eradication pathway the following points should be considered:
<Evaluation of the role of the different species implications in the epidemiology of the disease including the
wildlife to test the consequences of the control programme (partial or mass vaccination)
<Identify a clear vaccination policy (limitation of financial resources and availability of good quality vaccine and administration)
<Regulations regarding cross borders movement control
<Strengthening diagnostic capacity in the region and establishing regional PPR labs.
Dr. Hanan Yousif Mohamed Ahmed,
Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rangelands, Sudan
Director, Disease Control Department

Dr. Hanan Yousif
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Do not ever give up
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Creation must be possible what ever the financial difficulties
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See No evil, speak No evil & hear No evil