Objectives

This project is about two of the major animal diseases affecting farms in Nigeria: Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and Newcastle disease. It is estimated that PPR causes between $1.4 and $2.1 billion in damage in Nigeria each year, while the highly virulent Newcastle disease virus can wipe out entire flocks of chickens.
The project aims to provide local stakeholders with the knowledge needed to implement sustainable animal disease surveillance and control strategies. It is aimed in particular at community animal health workers, veterinary services, the National Veterinary Research Institute, veterinarians in the field, farmers, especially poultry farmers, and private livestock enterprises.

It will revolve around four main activities:

• Training actors to be able to recognize the symptoms of PPR and Newcastle disease and to collect and store the necessary samples and data. It will also involve increasing the production of vaccines and improving their distribution.
• Involving stakeholders in the field in vaccination and disease notification, through communication and awareness campaigns.
• Conducting socio-economic and epidemiological surveys to increase contextual knowledge. These surveys will focus on the distribution and impact of PPR and Newcastle disease, their perception, the cost-benefit ratio of vaccination, gender issues and the impact of climatic events on livelihoods.
• Providing a toolkit to intensify surveillance and monitoring efforts across the country.