Dear Colleagues,
I sincerely believe the Coordinator has kicked off this session nicely. I support the concept of  having a control package that involves other small ruminant diseases and the disease to be included may vary from one area to another. For example, the work that was done in the eighties in Nigeria by the then ILCA showed that apart from  PPR, Ecto and endo parasitism were the most prevalent disease conditions in Nigeria villages in the south. Whether this is true of the nomadic small ruminants in the pastoral system needs be confirmed. For sure we have encountered sheep and goat pox and isolated goat pox virus in Nigeria. My experience while working for FAO in Northern Iraq showed that brucellosis is one very important zoonotic disease as a result of consumption of home-made yoghourt. Therefore I would suggest the PPR/SGP/brucellosis in some areas and PPR/SGP/endo and ectoparasite control in others like Nigeria. The opportunity should be used in the first year to assess the status of brucellosis in West Africa and then the package may be modified.
The PPR/SGP/brucellosis combination would be very attractive to national and international bodies and would support the one health concept and bring collaboration between the human and animal health personnel.

Prof. Timothy Obi DVM, MVM, PhD, MFR
College of Veterinary Medicine
Michael Okpara University of Agriculture,
Umudike, Nigeria


Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 16:40:51 +0000
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: PPR-GREN e-conference introduction to session 4.Moderator.
To: [log in to unmask]

Good Afternoon Everyone,
Welcome to session 4 of the PPR-GREN e-conference “Network to be inclusive or exclusive of other small ruminant diseases”.   This important question  asks whether or not other diseases should be addressed together with PPR  but, assuming that the answer might be yes,  it also implies which diseases? I also think it  asks whether these other diseases should be considered for progressive control leading to eradication  and not just routine control to manageable levels.
 
During the first three weeks of the conference we largely focused on the progressive control of PPR. However, even in the first two days of the conference Drs Ithondeka and Razig drew attention to the possibility of including other disease with PPR control, namely sheep and goat pox (SGP), contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) and Rift Valley fever (RVF). I am circulating contributions from Dr David Ward (sent out once already) and from Dr Nick Honhold who both make the case for controlling other diseases, including brucellosis, together with PPR.  
More than one participant has mentioned that the high cost of vaccination in the field is due to vaccine delivery rather than the purchase price of the vaccines themselves. Therefore there is compelling economic incentive to take the opportunity provided by a field visit to accomplish as much as possible*  including vaccinating against more than just one pathogen that is prevalent in that area – so long as the livestock owners wish this to be done (my limited socio-economics coming in here).  I believe that SGP is a very suitable candidate for progressive control and possible eradication. Much of its epidemiology and basic biology is similar to that of PPR; it has been eradicated from many countries with zoo-sanitary measures alone; and now with an effective vaccine it seems a prime candidate for eradication.   To do this in conjunction with PPR makes sense since the global distribution of the two viruses significantly overlap.  Already Somalia, Yemen and several other countries vaccinate successfully against both diseases simultaneously.  The drive to produce a recombinant SGP-PPR vaccine illustrates the obvious opportunity to address both diseases together. Man has eradicated two virus diseases, smallpox and rinderpest, so another pox virus and morbillivirus could be winning combination.  
Besides the economic argument for progressive control of more than just PPR there is the “lessons learned” and interest factor. When smallpox was eradicated there were lessons learned and confidence generated that eradication was possible and therefore the new tool in the box for disease control.   Even before smallpox was eradicated, the WHO was preparing its enhanced programme of immunization for up to six preventable diseases of human childhood.  This programme is still running and has made huge strides in reducing the global prevalence of measles and polio with regional elimination of some viruses. In the wake of rinderpest eradication the opportunity is there to do the same and utilize the skills in the “strengthened veterinary services” to take on more diseases than PPR.
We need to hear your views about which diseases if any  you see as being feasible for inclusion with PPR in progressive control and how you see these being incorporated within PPR-GREN as new themes or sub-themes.  Not all diseases are eradicable but they can of course be included within a wider global programme where they are prevalent and have significant impact at a local level. And of course you may decide it is best to concentrate on only  PPR to ensure a positive outcome.
Moderator.
(* When vaccinating flocks and herds rarely visited by animal health staff the opportunity to collect as  much epidemiological information as possible should also not be missed).


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