NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 \u2014 Millions of African pastoralists could soon see relief as the continent intensifies efforts to eliminate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a fast-spreading disease that kills sheep and goats and pushes vulnerable families deeper into poverty.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Nairobi, AU-IBAR Director Dr Huyam Salih said Africa is mobilising resources and political support to finally defeat the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunding is critical for vaccination and monitoring. Without it, the disease will continue to spread,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
PPR is one of Africa\u2019s most destructive livestock diseases, wiping out animals that many families rely on for food, income and school fees. Women and young people are among the hardest hit.<\/p>\n
Experts warn that high animal movement, cross-border trade and shared grazing lands make the disease difficult to contain unless countries work together.<\/p>\n
Kenya\u2019s Deputy Principal Secretary for Livestock, Dr Joshua Chepchieng, said regional cooperation is the only solution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis disease does not respect borders. If we act alone, we fail together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Uganda\u2019s Minister of State for Agriculture, Dr Bright Rwamirama, backed the African Union\u2019s approach, saying it gives countries a clear and coordinated path forward.<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u2019s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Samuel Anzaku, said PPR continues to destroy livelihoods across the continent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not just about animals. It is about poverty, stability and dignity for millions of Africans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Nairobi meeting also saw Chad named as Africa\u2019s continental champion for PPR eradication, recognising its strategic role in regions where livestock movement is high.<\/p>\n
Chad\u2019s Livestock Minister, Prof Abderahim Awat Atteib, said the country is ready to lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a pastoral nation, we understand the cost of this disease,\u201d he said, urging governments to invest in veterinary services and cross-border cooperation.<\/p>\n
He thanked partners including the European Union, the United Nations\u2019 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) for supporting Africa\u2019s fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur ambition is simple,\u201d he said. \u201cTo end PPR and protect the livelihoods of our people.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 19 \u2014 Millions of African pastoralists could soon see relief as the continent intensifies efforts to eliminate Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), a fast-spreading disease that kills sheep and goats and pushes vulnerable families deeper into poverty. Speaking in Nairobi, AU-IBAR Director Dr Huyam Salih said Africa is mobilising resources and political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127033","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127033"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127033\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}