Ovine rinderpest

Ovine rinderpest, also commonly known as peste des petits ruminants (PPR), is a contagious disease affecting goats and sheep in Africa (from Tropic of Cancer to Equator), the Middle-East and the Indian subcontinent. But since June 2008, the disease invaded Morocco , which indicates a crossing of the natural barrier of Sahara. It is caused by a species of the Morbillivirus genus of viruses. The disease is highly contagious, and has roughly an 80 percent mortality rate in acute cases.

Disease appellations

Traditionally, the name kata was given to stomatitis and pneumoenteritis of the Nigerian dwarf goat.  Peste des Petits Ruminants was the French name of a similar disease of sheep and goats first described in the Ivory Coast in 1942. These diseases have been shown to be very close to each other. Rowland A.C. Scott, G.R., Ramachandran, S. and Hill D.H. (1971) A comparative study of peste de petits ruminants and Kata in West African dwarf goats. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 3, 241-245.

Many authors prefer the name "Ovine Rinderpest". But official agencies such as the FAO and OIE use the French name "Peste des Petits Ruminants", "Peste Des Petits Ruminants", "Peste-des-Petits-Ruminants" or "Peste-des-petits-ruminants", even in...
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