Dear Colleagues,
During the fourth week of the conference we addressed two topics: session 3 on sub-themes and relating these to the main themes that were developed in week 3 (session 2) , and session 4 on whether PPR-GREN should be “inclusive or exclusive of other small ruminant diseases”.
Session 3 was relatively quiet, probably because we had already covered so many sub-themes during the previous week. Dr Tabitha Kimani provided a comprehensive resume of the many benefits that socio-economics can bring right across the board of a new global progressive control programme. Dr Jawish provided a wide ranging list of themes and sub-themes that ended with “monitoring and evaluation framework” an important component of project management had not been touched on in the conference until then (other than the sub-theme of seromonitoring).  The moderator suggested that animal welfare might be a sub-theme and met a resounding silence, which suggests that it is not. Almost at the last minute Dr Robert Allport made a very significant contribution on the need to understand the consequences of improved disease control/animal health, the ramifications these have for the environment and the challenge to turn these scientific gains into material improvement to the lives of stockholders.  Answering my question about whether the laboratory specialists would accept not having a separate theme for their discipline (I suggest that it be cross-cutting and addressed as necessary to help solve problems that arise within the other thematic groups) Dr Manzoor made his case for a laboratory focused main theme.
Session 4 generated much more interest and can be split into two sections. In the first section the conference received over 20 contributions all fully supporting an inclusive approach that would see other small ruminant diseases tackled together with PPR.  Fourteen of these contributions specifically mentioned others diseases which were: sheep and goat pox (8 mentions) brucellosis (5) CCPP (4), treatment of internal and external parasites (2) and pasteurellosis, enterotoxaemia, RVF and Anthrax (1 each). Most contributors expressed the view that the selection of which diseases to tackle in conjunction with PPR should be decided at regional or national levels rather than a global one. The second section of the session came after the moderator asked whether some diseases that in his view are probably eradicable should be considered for progressive control along with PPR which would, of course, mean a global strategy. The response was an overwhelming no to progressive control of anything other than PPR; the score being just one for the moderator’s suggestion and eight against.  I confess that I wasn’t trying to stimulate discussion just for the sake of it because I do believe we have a chance to do more than focus on PPR and to build a bigger progressive control programme. So, I wasn’t hoping for or even expecting such a negative response, certainly not for SGP and possibly even small ruminant brucellosis.  I think that many of the arguments that were made can be countered, and I believe that we can be more innovative. However, this e-conference is not the forum to resolve this and, therefore, I would like to suggest that we continue this discussion within PPR-GREN, when established, possibly within the framework of a separate main theme where we should be able to spend more time looking at the pros and cons of progressive control of these other SRDs. We could also take the opportunity to learn from WHO as to whether, with hindsight, it might have benefited from addressing fewer diseases (or more?) within its expanded programme of immunization.
If we are successful in eradicating PPR  using a huge amount of public taxpayers’ money in the process, who would want to hear what the funding masters will say if we ask to do it all over again for another SRD.  
I will send round the introduction to session 5 shortly.
Moderator.


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