PPR (peste des petits ruminants / bakri plague)
The disease that can wipe out a smallholder’s entire goat flock in a fortnight — and the one where a single cheap vaccine gives years of protection.
- Cause
- PPR virus (Morbillivirus)
- Animals affected
- Goats and sheep
- Outbreak death rate
- 50–80%, higher in kids
- Vaccine
- One dose, 3+ years cover
Overview
PPR is caused by a Morbillivirus related to the cattle rinderpest and human measles viruses. It affects goats and sheep — goats usually worse — and spreads by close contact through the discharges from the eyes, nose and mouth and in the dung of infected animals, especially in the first few days of illness. Newly bought animals, mixing at markets and shared grazing bring it into a flock.
After 3–6 days the animal develops a sudden high fever (40–41 °C), goes dull and off feed, and the eyes and nose run — first watery, then thick and yellow, crusting over and blocking the nostrils. The mouth becomes sore, with grey dead patches and shallow ulcers on the gums, lips and tongue, so the animal salivates and cannot eat. Profuse, foul-smelling, sometimes bloody diarrhoea follows and the animal dehydrates rapidly.
Pneumonia — coughing, laboured breathing, a snotty nose — sets in and is often what kills. In a fresh outbreak, illness rates approach 90% and death rates 50–80%, higher in young animals. Pregnant does often abort. There is no treatment for the virus, but PPR is entirely preventable: one dose of the live attenuated vaccine protects a goat or sheep for at least 3 years.
This is a general guide, not a substitute for a veterinarian. Always call a vet for diagnosis, dosage and treatment of a sick animal.
Signs to look for
- Sudden high fever, sudden dullness, and a group of animals going off feed together.
- Discharge from the eyes and nose — watery at first, then thick and yellow, matting the eyelids and crusting the nostrils.
- Sore mouth: grey dead patches and shallow ulcers on the gums, dental pad, lips and tongue; drooling; refusal to eat.
- Profuse, watery, foul-smelling diarrhoea, sometimes with blood and shreds of gut lining; rapid weight loss and sunken eyes.
- Coughing, fast and laboured breathing, a snoring or grunting sound — pneumonia, often the final stage.
- Abortion in pregnant does and ewes; death in 5–10 days, fastest in kids and lambs.
How it spreads
- Close contact with the eye, nose and mouth discharges and the dung of infected animals — most infectious in the first few days.
- Breathing in droplets in a crowded shed or night enclosure.
- Shared feed troughs, water and bedding contaminated with discharges.
- Newly purchased animals and animals returning from a market or fair without quarantine.
- Mixing flocks on common grazing and at watering points; the virus does not survive long outside the animal, so movement of live animals is the main risk.
Vaccination
- One dose of the live attenuated PPR vaccine protects goats and sheep for at least 3 years — the backbone of the national PPR control and eradication programme.
- Vaccinate kids and lambs from 3–4 months of age; where disease pressure is high, an earlier dose with a repeat at 4 months may be advised.
- Vaccinate all new animals before adding them to the flock, and cover the whole village flock in the same campaign.
- Keep the cold chain — the vaccine is heat-sensitive and loses potency quickly if it warms up.
- In an outbreak, immediate ring vaccination of all healthy in-contact goats and sheep is the standard response.
Managing an outbreak
- Report suspected PPR to the veterinary department at once — it is notifiable and part of an eradication programme.
- Stop all movement of goats and sheep in and out; isolate sick animals well away from the healthy flock.
- There is no antiviral cure. A vet gives fluids and electrolytes for dehydration, antibiotics to control the pneumonia and gut infection, and drugs to reduce fever.
- Nurse sick animals: soft green feed and clean water within reach, mouth washed with a mild antiseptic, eyes and nose cleaned of crusts, shelter from cold and rain.
- Vaccinate every healthy animal in and around the outbreak immediately.
- Dispose of carcasses by deep burial with lime or burning; disinfect sheds, troughs and pens with washing soda or a phenolic disinfectant.
Animals affected
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Frequently asked questions
How is PPR different from ordinary diarrhoea or poisoning in goats?
PPR hits several animals at once with fever, a sore crusty mouth and runny eyes and nose before or alongside the diarrhoea, and pneumonia follows. Simple diet scour or plant poisoning usually affects one or a few animals, without the mouth sores, eye-nose discharge and fever. Any sudden group illness with these signs should be reported as suspected PPR.
One dose lasts 3 years — do I ever need to revaccinate?
The vaccine gives at least 3 years of protection, often lifelong, so adult animals do not need annual boosters. What you must not miss is vaccinating every new kid and lamb at 3–4 months and every bought-in animal — those are the unprotected gaps a new outbreak exploits.
Can cattle or people get PPR?
No. PPR affects only goats and sheep (and some wild small ruminants). Cattle, buffalo and humans are not affected. It is, however, closely related to the old cattle plague (rinderpest), which is why the same eradication approach — mass one-shot vaccination — is being used against it.
Is meat or milk from the flock safe during an outbreak?
Do not slaughter sick animals for meat or use milk from sick does. Healthy-looking animals in an affected flock should not be moved or sold either, because they may be incubating the disease and would spread it. Follow the veterinary department’s instructions for the outbreak.
Signs, prevention and treatment follow ICAR, DAHD and state veterinary-university practice; vaccine schedules are the commonly notified ones and may vary by region or outbreak status. Always confirm with a veterinarian before treating an animal. editorial policy.