Perspectives of animal health workers in Nigeria to global eradication of peste des petits ruminants (PPR)

Abstract

The Food Agriculture Organization - Office International des Epizooties (FAO-OIE) coordinated global eradication program, launched in 2015, is expected to help stamp out pestes des petits ruminants (PPR) from across the world by the year 2030. A questionnaire survey was employed to assess the perception of animal healthcare workers about the possibility of PPR elimination in the country, using FAO-OIE strategy. A total of four hundred and forty six (446) animal health workers participated in the survey, out of which 126 (28.25%) considered PPR the most important small ruminant disease. Despite the history of disease endemicity in Nigeria, only 40% of animal health workers have received PPR vaccination request since they began practice. Result also showed that 58% of study respondents were aware of the ongoing FAO-OIE global eradication programme against PPR, with their information sources being internet (55%), professional colleagues (32%) radio, print media (12%) and television (1%). Respondents were of the opinion that PPR eradication and control was the sole responsibility of animal health workers (67%), veterinarians (29%), technologists (4%) and government (0%). To achieve disease eradication in Nigeria by year 2030, the focal areas that need urgent attention are veterinary infrastructure, vaccine production, disease diagnosis, surveillance and notification.

Keywords: Animal health workers, Awareness, Global eradication, Nigeria, Perspective, PPR