Success Story
   
 

Vaccine for Plague (Peste des petits ruminants ­- PPR): A Disease of Small Ruminants
   
  The PPR is most important infectious disease of small ruminants and is known as sheep and goat plague. The disease was reported in India in 1989 from Tamil Nadu. It is now prevalent in all the parts of the country. The disease is also endemic in our neighboring countries viz., Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. It causes death in more than 50% of the affected animals due to high fever, pneumonia, diarrhoea and dehydration. The annual loss due to PPR in t.he small ruminants (about 200 million) in India is approximately Rs.180 crores.

Vaccine Developed
No vaccine was available in India for protection of small ruminants against PPR. An effective vero-cell line based live attenuated indigenous freeze-dried vaccine has been developed and validated using extensive field trials. The vaccine has a shelf life of more than one year at 4°C and provides immunity for three years. The ­vaccine is safe, potent and acceptable for use even during pregnancy.

Technology Transfer
The technology for vaccine production has already been transferred to states of Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for commercial use. The training of the officials for the manufacture of the vaccine at commercial level has also been imparted. The vaccine would help in reducing losses due to morbidity and mortality and thus improve economic condition of poor sheep and goat farmers in the country. The vaccine costs less than Rs. 1/-.

The vaccine has been developed at Indian Veterinary Research Institute (Mukteshwar campus) and Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University, Chennai.