Epidemiology of Pest Des Petites Ruminants in Sudan

Abstract

The study conducted during 2019 in: Sinnar, Gadarif, Kassala, River Nile and White Nile states. The objectives were to detect the epidemiology of PPR in Sudan and to investigate the knowledge and perception of sheep and goats owners and veterinarians on PPR disease in the five states. A semi-structured questionnaire was designed for veterinarians and sheep and goats herders and owners. Descriptive statistics of the variables were obtained for each variable (age, sex, breed, and locations) frequencies of observations within variable were also obtained. All the tested variables were first tested by univariate analysis. In a second step, potential risk factors with p ≤ 0.20 in the univariate analysis were entered a logistic regression. Associations in the logistic regression model were deemed significant when p ≤ 0.05. The results of the questionnaire survey showed that sheep owners, herders and veterinarians in states under study have a solid good knowledge of PPR infection, host range, its clinical signs and transmission, incubation period, source of infection, season of occurrence, the effect of animal movements, practicing communal grazing and watering and their practices and attitude to prevent and control the disease spread and its impact on their animals. At the same time there exist considerable reservations of sizeable number of herders against PPR vaccination. VII The results have also identified the potential risk factors that are associated with the PPRV outbreaks occurrence in sheep in: Sinnar, Gadarif, Kassala, River Nile and White Nile states. The results showed that Significant risk factors associated with PPRV in the univariate analysis using the chi square test were found to be species at animal level; and production system, migration, animal movement, vaccination and disease history at herd level, while livestock density, climatic changes, veterinary services and wildlife were identified as risk factors at area level. All the identified risk factors noticed that they were management and animal husbandry based problems. In contrast, age, sex and breed at animal level and herd size, mixed species, housing, water, communal dipping at herd level, and elevation, livestock marketing system at area level were found not to be significantly associated with the occurrence of PPRV outbreaks. Knowledge of risk factors associated with PPR is an important pre-requisite for the design and implementation of effective control strategies and for management programs that can lead to the control and eradication of the disease. An understanding of these risk factors and their association and contributions to the occurrence and spreading of PPRV among small ruminant populations also is a good aid for clinical diagnosis and for determining PPR’s epidemiology and patterns.