PPR thermostable vaccines and vaccination strategy

Pest des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a disease with huge economic, food security and livelihood impacts. It is caused by a is a highly contagious, acute viral disease that primarily effects domestic small ruminants. The presence of the virus has been confirmed in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and is spreading to new countries, affecting an increasing number of small ruminant populations and livelihoods. The disease can be controlled by disinfection of on-farm material and structures, safe disposal of dead animals, and slaughtering of sick animals. The main control method of PPR is vaccination. Many vaccines are commercially available and have shown to be effective for at least three years post-vaccination. All animals must be vaccinated. However, most of the currently available vaccines require a strict cold chain for to offer good immunity after vaccination, yet there is a lack of power particularly in remote areas of developing countries. There is a homologous live attenuated vaccine that protects small ruminant against PPR to control losses. However, this vaccine requires the maintenance of cold chain which is a serious challenge in remote areas with no access to electricity or where recurrent power failures make it difficult to keep vaccines cold. This situation is problematic and is a major cause of failure to most vaccination programs especially in countries where ambient temperatures are high.