Africa seeks US$2.26B to eradicate sheep and goat disease

AFRICA – African animal-health leaders are seeking sustained financing for a global campaign to eradicate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), with a proposed 15-year programme costing US$2.26 billion, estimated to generate about US$76.5 billion in economic benefits.

The financing push was discussed at a meeting in Rome, where governments, international financial institutions, development banks and private investors were urged to support vaccination, disease surveillance and veterinary services needed to eliminate the virus.

PPR, also known as sheep and goat plague, has been confirmed in more than 70 countries covering regions that are home to about 1.7 billion sheep and goats, or roughly 80% of the global population of these animals.

The disease does not infect humans but can cause major losses in livestock production and rural livelihoods. 

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that PPR can infect up to 90% of a susceptible herd and kill up to 70% of infected animals.

FAO estimates the disease causes annual global economic losses of up to US$2.1 billion.

Investment in animal health

The proposed eradication programme would finance vaccination, disease surveillance, diagnostics, cold-chain infrastructure and veterinary services.

A global economic assessment estimates that the programme could generate US$33.80 in economic benefits for every US$1 invested, making the financing case a central part of efforts to eliminate the disease.

Effective and affordable vaccines are available, meaning eradication is considered technically achievable.

However, reaching livestock in remote and mobile pastoralist communities remains a major challenge.

Vaccination campaigns require functioning cold chains and trained veterinary personnel, while stronger surveillance and post-vaccination monitoring are needed to determine whether vaccination is interrupting transmission.

Sheep and goats are particularly important to rural households across Africa, providing meat and milk, income and household assets. 

PPR outbreaks can reduce animal numbers and production, affecting both livelihoods and livestock markets.

Participants therefore linked PPR eradication with wider gains in food security, rural incomes and livestock trade.

The disease also requires cross-border cooperation because the virus can spread through livestock movements, shared grazing areas and trade routes. 

Leaders called for coordinated vaccination, transparent reporting of outbreaks and vaccination results, and sustained investment in veterinary systems.

The continental effort involves the Pan-African PPR Secretariat, the African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), AU-PANVAC, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).

The campaign also aligns with FAO’s broader One Health work across agrifood systems, which recognises the links between animal health, food systems, environmental conditions and human wellbeing. 

FAO recently launched its Sustainable Livestock Transformation and One Health Intelligence & Knowledge Hub as part of efforts to strengthen action and information sharing across these areas.

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