Africa seeks funding to eradicate livestock disease with $33 return on every dollar

NAIROBI,Kenya, Sep 24— African animal-health leaders are seeking sustained financing for a campaign to eradicate a deadly disease of sheep and goats, arguing that investment in vaccination, surveillance and veterinary services could deliver billions of dollars in economic benefits.

The push to eliminate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) comes as the disease causes annual global economic losses of up to $2.1 billion, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

PPR has been confirmed in more than 70 countries, covering regions that are home to about 1.7 billion sheep and goats which is roughly 80 per cent of the world’s total.

At a meeting in Rome, leaders called on governments, international financial institutions, development banks and private investors to provide sustained funding for vaccination campaigns, disease surveillance and veterinary services needed to eliminate the virus.

The disease, commonly known as sheep and goat plague, does not infect humans but can devastate livestock herds and the livelihoods of pastoralists and smallholder farmers who depend on sheep and goats for food, income and household assets.

FAO says PPR can infect up to 90 per cent of a susceptible herd and kill up to 70 per cent of infected animals.

Economic returns

The financing case is central to the eradication campaign.

A global economic assessment estimates that a 15-year eradication programme costing $2.26 billion could generate benefits worth about $76.5 billion.

That translates to an estimated $33.80 in economic benefits for every $1 invested.

The investment would finance measures including vaccination, surveillance, diagnostics, cold-chain infrastructure and veterinary services.

Experts said the availability of effective and affordable vaccines means eradication is technically achievable, but reaching livestock in remote and mobile pastoralist communities remains a major challenge.

Vaccines must be delivered consistently, supported by functioning cold chains and trained veterinary personnel. Countries also need stronger surveillance and post-vaccination monitoring to establish whether vaccination campaigns are interrupting transmission.

Rural livelihoods

The stakes extend beyond animal health.

Sheep and goats are particularly important to poor rural households because they provide meat and milk, generate income and can serve as a form of household savings during periods of economic or climate stress.

FAO estimates that the disease threatens the livelihoods and assets of hundreds of millions of people who depend on small ruminants.

PPR can also disrupt livestock trade and food supplies when outbreaks reduce animal numbers and production.

Participants at the Rome meeting said eradication would therefore provide benefits beyond controlling a single disease, including stronger food security, rural incomes and livestock markets.

Animal-health leaders also stressed that countries cannot eradicate PPR by acting independently.

The virus can spread through the movement of livestock across borders, shared grazing areas and trade routes, making coordinated vaccination and surveillance essential.

They called for stronger cross-border cooperation, transparent reporting of outbreaks and vaccination results, and sustained investment in veterinary systems.

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