The outbreak of a highly contagious animal disease known as PPR in Khabr National Park, Kerman Province, will turn into a crisis if timely action is not taken by relevant authorities, a provincial official at the Department of Environment warned.
Peste Des Petits Ruminants, also known as sheep and goat plague, is a viral animal disease most common in Africa, Middle East and Asia. It does not infect humans.
The first case of the disease in the current Iranian year (began March 21) was reported in late June in Kerman. Later, a young sheep showed the symptoms of PPR and died. Iran’s Veterinary Organization examined the carcass and confirmed the infection with the PPR virus a few days later.
Reportedly, the virus has so far claimed the lives of some 50 wild goats and sheep in the region.
Reza Jazinizadeh, head of Kerman’s DOE office, called for an immediate crisis management meeting with officials from the governorate, the Veterinary Organization and medical universities to stem the spread of PPR.
“The disease is spreading fast and the authorities’ negligence will pose a serious threat to humans as well as domestic and wild animals,” he told IRNA.
He, however, noted that the illness has been contained to some extent.
“The provincial office has burnt and buried the infected carcasses and disinfected the water troughs,” he said, adding that the disease is now in a dormant state but is likely to grow out of control.
Preventive Measures
According to Siamak Masoudi, head of wildlife diseases office at DOE, other preventive measures are also underway, including the dispatch of forces and the required equipment to the region and keeping non-vaccinated cattle away from protected areas.
“Guidelines on how to deal with suspicious carcasses as well as prevention and control strategies that clearly describe each organization’s duties have been sent to provincial offices as well,” he told ISNA.
The guidelines, according to Masoudi, require constant monitoring of protected areas, especially during cattle grazing, random check-ups of wild ruminants, separation of domestic and wild animals’ water troughs, immediate reporting to the DOE headquarters and IVO, and imposition of restrictions on non-vaccinated livestock, among other measures.
“A list of protected areas with greater chances of wild ruminants’ presence has been presented to IVO to be given priority in vaccination programs,” he said.
Prime Culprit
Cattle smuggling is the main cause of the outbreak of common livestock and wildlife diseases, the official noted.
Failure to vaccinate livestock in time and unauthorized cattle grazing are among other causes of the PPR outbreak, according to him.
“Besides, the destruction of natural habitats and the rise of dust storms due to lingering drought have forced wildlife to travel across a wider area in search of food and water, and thus share plains and water troughs with domestic animals, increasing the risk of common contagious illnesses such as PPR, foot and mouth disease and Orf.”
The best way to prevent the outbreak of PPR is vaccination.
“If all domestic animals are vaccinated, the virus will not have a chance to infect livestock and will not spread among wildlife either,” Masoudi said.
Khabr National Park extends across 120,000 hectares of natural area within Baft County of Kerman Province.
