The role of Vaccine in PPR Global Control and Eradication Programme

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious, and fatal viral disease of domestic and wild small ruminants caused by a morbillivirus belongs to family paramyxoviridae. It is characterized by the sudden onset of depression, fever, discharges from the eyes and nose, sores in the mouth, disturbed breathing and cough, foul-smelling diarrhea and death. PPR is one of the most damaging livestock diseases with significant economic, food security and livelihood impacts. Since it was first identified in Côte d’Ivoire in 1942, the geographical distribution of PPR has steadily expanded to cover large regions in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. FAO/OIE Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases (GF-TADs) has developed PPR Global Control and Eradication Programme (PPR-GEP). This programme is officially and solemnly launched in the PPR Global Strategy at the International Conference in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) at 2 April 2015 with the vision of a world free of PPR by 2030. The global PPR eradication and Eradication Strategy (GCES) is based on four stages: Assessment stage, Control stage, Eradication stage, Post eradication stage. Vaccination as a main element for the success of Stage 2 and 3 of the GCES for PPR needs a very efficient and Quality Assured Vaccine. Therefore, Shortages in vaccine production, lowered quality assurances, or inability to deliver the vaccines to meet field needs represent risks to the planned campaigns and would constitute a major challenge to progress in the time-bound by 2030. Currently, 6 attenuated PPR strains are available for vaccine production in the world. The one which is quite famous and approved by OIE is Nigeria75/1 strain. For many years in Iran, PPR vaccine was imported in limited rate and costly and used only for control of disease in high risk areas. At Razi Institute, homologous PPR vaccine production was developed in 2009 and then vaccine manufacturing has been started up by attenuated PPR Nigeria75/1 virus (CIRAD- emvt Strain) in vero cell line since 2013. This vaccine is manufactured and controlled in accordance with OIE manual of standards for diagnostic tests and vaccines.