FG plans mass vaccination of goats, sheep

Federal Government has said plans are underway to conduct a mass vaccination exercise on sheep and goats across the country in an effort to protect them from the Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) disease which is currently ravaging some farms.


PPR is an acute viral disease of goats and sheep characterised by fever, necrotic stomatitis, gastroenteritis, pneumonia, and sometimes death.

Gideon Mshelbwala, Director, Pests Control Services Department, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who disclosed this in Abuja last week said the exercise which will commence soon will be a continuous one that will end in 2024.

Mshelbwala said the department hopes to prevent the untimely deaths of 40 per cent of goats and sheep as the PPR disease is responsible for a similar number of deaths in the animals.

According to him, the European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the African Union (AU) will support the Federal Government in the effort to control the disease.

“We currently have the most dangerous foot and mouth disease in addition to the PPR and these diseases are endemic in the country. We want to eradicate these diseases in our animals, especially the PPR in sheep and goats.


“We are committing a project for the next seven years to control PPR because sheep and goat are kept all over the country by women and youths. There is a project coming up to start mass vaccination against the PPR for sheep and goats.’’ 

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