The Government of Liberia in collaboration with its One Health platform partners and the Division of Veterinary Services at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), has launched a 13-day National Emergency Vaccination Campaign in a fight to eradicate or end Rabies and Peste des Petits Ruminant (PPR) in animals.
The launch ceremony was held on July 1, 2022, at the MoA central office in Gardnersville.
A press release from the Ministry of Agriculture said, this joint vaccination campaign is part of a global, regional and national strategy for the control and eradication of Pest De Petite Ruminants and rabies from the world by 2030.
Specifically, the campaign is targeting at least 70% of the dog population against rabies, while 70% of sheep and goats are expected to be vaccinated in the targeted counties.
The joint PPR and Rabies Vaccination campaign the release added was developed under the guidance of international bodies including; World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), FAO, and ECOWAS.
The Vaccines will be administered in communities by the Community Animal Workers (CAWs) while the exercise is expected to last for a 13-day period; three days of community awareness and 10 days of vaccination activities.
According to the release, 400 thousand doses of the PPR vaccines plus US$15,000 were provided by FAO PPR secretariat, while the Liberia’s Veterinary Service has received 320,000 doses of rabies vaccines from WOAH.
Under the USAID-funded Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Program, the 2022 work plan provides an additional US$15,000 for vaccinating animals against rabies.
Due to resource constraints and hard-to-reach terrains, the release noted, the vaccination campaign will focus on five bordering counties within the western and central regions of the country and Montserrado County that are said to be at highrisk. The high risk counties include; Gbapolu, Grand Cape Mount, Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Montserrado.
During the campaign, all goats and sheep older than three months will be eligible for the vaccination against PPR, while dogs, cats, and monkey older than two months will be vaccinated against rabies.
Liberia’s animal population is unknown due to the lack of a Livestock Census, however, over 90 thousand animals, including goats and sheep as well as dogs and cats are targeted to be vaccinated based on the recent vaccination campaign results by the veterinary service campaign in 2021.
Rabies is an infection caused by a virus. It affects the central nervous system of mammals, including humans. It is nearly always deadly if not treated before symptoms begin.
According to WHO, globally, rabies causes over 60,000 human deaths every year in over 100 countries mostly affecting under-served communities with limited access to health and veterinary services.
More than 99% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites. In Liberia, several rabies cases have been confirmed by the Central Veterinary Laboratory. It is endemic and poses a major public health threat.
Every year, over a thousand cases of animal bites are reported. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly infectious disease of small ruminants (goats and sheep). It is characterized by high rates of morbidity and mortality.
According to WOAH, PPR causes USD 1.5 to 2 billion in losses each year in regions that are home to over 80% of the world’s sheep and goats and to more than 330 million of the world’s poorest people, many of whom depend on them for their livelihoods.
The disease threatens food security and the livelihoods of smallholders and prevents animal husbandry sectors from achieving their economic potential. PPR is also confirmed in many counties of Liberia.
