KOUBA V.
Abstract
Rinderpest is an acute, febrile, highly infectious,
viral, killing disease of domestic livestock and wild animals. It has caused
devastating stock losses in many parts of
Keywords:
Rinderpest
is an acute, febrile, highly infectious, viral, killing disease of domestic
livestock and wild animals characterized by pyrexia, necrosis of visible
mucosal membrane and death. It has caused devastating stock losses in many
parts of the world for centuries. Rinderpest virus belongs to the genus Morbillivirus of the family
paramyoviridae, which strains vary considerably in their virulence. Among domestic
livestock cattle, zebus and water buffaloes are the species principally
affected. Rinderpest of sheep and goats occured on rare occasions. Numerous
wild animal species showed severe disease and high morality. Among them belong
African buffaloes, eland, kudu, wild-beest, various antelopes, bushpigs,
warthog, giraffes, etc. Rinderpest is rare among camelidae.
Rinderpest
occurred in many parts of
Most
strains of rinderpest virus are highly contagious. Infection is usually spread
by direct contact between animals. The virus is excreted in the expired air,
nasal discharges, saliva, faeces and urine. The virus survives poorly in the
environment. In enzootic areas the disease tends to spread slowly, affecting
mainly younger animals, with flare-ups occurring when nomadic herds mingle at
watering places or markets. The incubation period usually ranges from 3-9 days,
but may be longer in cattle with a high innate resistance. The clinical
syndrome varies from peracute to subacute. Laboratory diagnosis (8) consists in
antigen detection using agar gel immunodiffusion test, direct and indirect
immunoperoxidase test, counter immunoelectrophoresis and immunohistopathology.
Other tests used are virusneutralization test, ELISA test and virus RNA
detection by rinderpest specific cDNA probes and amplification by polymerase
chain reaction (PCR).
Joint Campaign against Rinderpest in
The main sources for this
article were represented by the documents of the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (1,2,6), produced in particular by Animal
Health Service (AGAH) responsible for international programmes against major
diseases, including the rinderpest. Other sources of statistical data were
represented by the global yearbooks such as FAO/WHO/OIE Animal Health Yearbook
(4) and OIE World Animal Health (7). Very important were the reports of the
expert consultations on rinderpest eradication campaign providing useful
information on the methodology and programme against this plague (10). AGAH
documents on rinderpest were produced by special unit EMPRES - Emergency
Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (3,5).
Priority of this unit has been to organize global rinderpest eradication
programme (GREP). Finally, personal experience of the author, as former Chief,
AGAH responsible also for the global rinderpest eradication project and
Chief-Editor of the FAO/WHO/OIE Animal Health Yearbook, was taken into
consideration as well.
First part consists in analyzing
official data on rinderpest occurrence in
Other part consists in
analyzing the strategy and progress of rinderpest eradication international
campaign in
Following methods for dealing
with a rinderpest disease emergency were considered and used according to
particular epizootiological situation and local conditions: stamping out by
slaughter; elimination by modified stamping out with ring vaccination and
quarantine with ring vaccination without slaughter.
Stamping
out by slaughter was preferred option in:
introduction of rinderpest in an area within rinderpest-free country; countries
with efficient veterinary services and functioning disease information and
reporting network, including laboratory diagnostic support and surveillance to
prevent reintroduction of rinderpest; countries with sufficiently contingency
funds for immediate compensation of affected farmers and countries where there
was no religious, cultural or ethnic objection to the slaughter of susceptible
livestock species such as cattle. The essential elements of stamping out method
included: slaughter of clinically affected, suspected and exposed susceptible
animals in the affected herds/premises/settlements within the infected zone; safe
disposal of carcasses; decontamination; quarantine and movement restriction;
tracing and surveillance; awareness campaigns; restocking at least 30 days
after cleaning and disinfection.
Modified
stamping out with ring vaccination
was preferred for: countries where there were doubts about maintaining strict
quarantine or animal movement control; countries where there were inadequate
resources for comprehensive disease surveillance and countries that did not
possess the financial resources needed for complete stamping out. The essential
elements of modified stamping out method: slaughter of clinically affected
animals and suspects in the infected herds/premises; immediate ring vaccination
and identification of vaccinates; quarantine and movement control; tracing and
surveillance to determine the source and extent of infection; an awareness
campaign to promote the cooperation of livestock owners and the general public;
proof of elimination; eventual slaughter of affected animals, if this is
realistic for export trade purposes.
Quarantine
and ring vaccination without slaughter was preferred in countries where: slaughter of
animas, e-g- cattle, was either forbidden or unacceptable to the community and
there were inadequate resources for stamping out or modified stamping out. The
essential elements of quarantine and ring vaccination method: immediate
quarantine and movement control in the infected zone; ring vaccination and
identification of vaccinates; disposal of carcasses of dead animals and
decontamination; tracing and surveillance to determine source and extent of the
infection; awareness campaign; proof of elimination.
Conditions
for declaring any former affected country as rinderpest-free were
identified by the OIE International Animal Health Code (9). Before declaration that the country as a
whole is rinderpest infection free, it must pass the period of provisional
freedom from disease (i.e. clinical cases) and then the period of freedom from
infection, which takes several years of intensive surveillance and laboratory
testing to prove the given status.
Achievements:
The global rinderpest eradication programme has achieved considerable results
reducing its territorial distribution by the end of 2002 to northeast
Global rinderpest eradication campaign represents the most extensive
international programme controlling an animal disease in the history. An
intense international effort must now focus on the Somali pastoral ecosystem of
northeast
Eliminating
rinderpest from the world will help to improve food security and the livelihood
of the rural population of many developing countries. In this sense, the battle
against rinderpest is also the fight against poverty.
1.
FAO (1996): The world
without rinderpest. FAO Animal Production and Health Paper 129,
2.
FAO (1996): Manual on the
diagnosis of rinderpest,
3.
FAO (1998): Rinderpest: The
challenge ahead. FAO Technical Consultation on the global rinderpest
eradication programme.
4.
Kouba, V. (Editor):
FAO/WHO/OIE Animal Health Yearbook,
5.
Masiga, W.N. (1999):
Pan-African surveillance for transboundary animal diseases: The Pan-African
programme for the control of epizootics, “PACE”. In: Fourth Expert Consultation
on Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and
Diseases (EMPRES) – Livestock Programme,
6.
Obi, T.U., Roeder, P.L.,
Geering W.A. (1999): Manual on the
preparation of rinderpest contingency plans, FAO, 34 pp.
7.
OIE (1990-2002): World
Animal Health,
8.
OIE (2000): Manual of
Standards for Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines, Fourth Edition,
9.
OIE (2003). International
Animal Health Code,
10.
Rweyemamu, M. (1996): The
global rinderpest status in 1996. In: Proceedings of the FAO Technical
Consultation on the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme,
Corresponding author:
P.B.
516, 170 00 Praha 7,
Tab.
1 - Rinderpest occurrence and eradication in
(included
only countries with rinderpest occurrence during this period)
==== =========================================================
COUNTRY
|
1 9 8
0 |
1 9 8
5 |
1 9 9
0 |
1 9 9
5 |
2 0 0
0 |
LAST CASE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
? |
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
1988 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1986 |
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
1986 |
Djibuti |
+ |
|
+ |
|
|
? |
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
1987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
+ |
+ |
|
+ |
|
? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1988 |
|
+ |
+ |
+ |
+ |
|
2002 ? |
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
1986 |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
? |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
1985 |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
1987 |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
1991 |
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
1997 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1986 |
|
+ |
|
+ |
+ |
|
1994 |
|
+ |
|
|
|
|
? |
========================================================
Sources:
FAO/WHO/OIE Animal Health Yearbook and OIE World Animal Health
Tab.
2 - Rinderpest occurrence and eradication in
(included
only countries with rinderpest occurrence during this period)
==== ========================================================
COUNTRY
|
1 9 8
0 |
1 9 8
5 |
1 9 9
0 |
1 9 9
5 |
2 0 0
0 |
LAST CASE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
? |
India |
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
1995 |
Iran |
|
|
|
|
|
1994 |
Israel |
|
|
|
|
|
1983 |
|
+ |
|
|
|
|
1985 |
|
|
+ |
|
|
|
1982 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1992 |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
1990 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1995 |
|
|
|
|
|
+ |
2000 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1998 |
Quatar |
|
|
|
|
|
1987 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1994 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1996 |
|
+ |
+ |
|
|
|
1995 |
=======================================================
Sources:
FAO/WHO/OIE Animal Health Yearbook and OIE World Animal Health