What are the basics of peste des petits ruminants and the methods for its prevention and control

1. What is peste des petits ruminants;

Peste des petits ruminants, also known as sheep plague or pseudo-rinderpest, is an acute contagious disease caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus of the genus Morbillivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae, characterized by fever, stomatitis, diarrhea and pneumonia. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) lists it as a Category A disease, and China lists it as a Category 1 disease.

2. What are the epidemiological characteristics of peste des petits ruminants, and what harm does it cause?

The disease mainly infects small ruminants, with goats being particularly susceptible and showing more severe clinical symptoms, followed by sheep, while wild animals are occasionally infected; the source of infection is mostly diseased animals and their secretions, excretions, and contaminated forage, equipment and drinking water; the disease is mainly transmitted through direct or indirect contact, with the respiratory tract being the main route of infection, and drinking water can also lead to infection; the incubation period of peste des petits ruminants is generally 4-6 days, and can be as long as 21 days, and the International Animal Health Code stipulates an incubation period of 21 days; the incidence rate in susceptible flocks usually reaches more than 60%, and the mortality rate can reach more than 50%. The disease causes great harm to the breeding industry, and once it occurs it may cause serious losses.