PPR (goat plague): protect your sheep and goats

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), often called goat plague, is a viral disease of goats and sheep. Goats are hit hardest. In a flock that has never been vaccinated, it can kill more than half the animals, and young goats die fastest. It is one of the biggest causes of loss for small ruminant keepers in Nigeria.

Signs to look for

• High fever, dullness and loss of appetite
• Watery discharge from the eyes and nose that turns thick and crusty
• Sores in the mouth, on the gums and tongue, and a bad smell from the mouth
• Severe diarrhoea
• Coughing and fast or difficult breathing
• Abortion in pregnant animals

Signs usually appear 4 to 6 days after an animal is infected. Sick animals often die within a week.

How it spreads

The virus spreads through close contact: coughing and sneezing, discharges, and shared feed and water troughs. Most outbreaks start after new animals are bought at a market or animals return from grazing or trade.

Prevention

• Vaccinate every sheep and goat. One dose of PPR vaccine protects for at least three years, and often for life.
• Vaccinate kids and lambs from 3 to 4 months of age, and any new animals you buy.
• Keep the vaccine cold from the shop to the farm, and use it soon after mixing.
• Keep new animals apart for at least 3 weeks before they join your flock.
• Avoid contact with flocks whose vaccination status you do not know.

If you suspect PPR

• Separate sick animals straight away and call a vet.
• Do not sell or move animals from the flock.
• Give sick animals clean water, soft feed and shade. A vet can treat chest infections that follow the virus.
• Burn or bury dead animals deeply, and clean and disinfect pens.

This guide is general information. It is not a substitute for advice from a vet who has examined your animals.