Infection with Peste des petits ruminants virus in Tunisia

On 15 August 2016, the Tunisian authorities notified three of Peste des petits ruminantsoutbreaksin some provinces in Tunisia: Biserte, Manouba and Ariana. The Tunisian Veterinary Research Institute confirmed 100 sheep, positive at this disease, by PCR. On 30 August 2016, two notified outbreaks were in the province of Kairouan. The applied measures, in order to implement the infection control, were disinfection of farms, the animal quarantine and the surveillance in the protected zones.

The last notified outbreak in Tunisia, is dated 1 October 2014. In the neighbouring Countries had got some outbreaks in Morocco (2015), in Turkey (2015) and in Egypt. This virus had been recorded in Algeria, in 2013. This disease had been confirmed in nomad sheep and goat cattle.

Peste des petits ruminants is one of the most important diseases in those areas based on economic livelihood from cattle of petits ruminants. These outbreaks have both been associated by the contact with immunologically immature animals and those animals from endemic areas.