Cattle-Plague Eradication Major Boost for Rural Food Security

The Food and Agriculture Organisation and World Animal Health Organisation are preparing to formally announce the eradication of rinderpest, the most deadly cattle plague. A worldwide eradication campaign, which has received vital funding from the European Commission, is wrapping up and marks a huge step forward in improving food security across the developing world and especially in Africa.

The eradication of this once devastating cattle-killing disease marks the first time ever that veterinarians have successfully eradicated an animal disease and coincides with the World Veterinary Year. In 1979, the World Health Organisation declared smallpox the first disease ever eliminated.



The Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme was launched by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1994. From the outset, this time-bound programme earmarked 2011 as the formal eradication date. 

Past generations saw the deadly disease kill hundreds of millions of livestock, including cattle, buffaloes and yaks, as well as some species of wildlife. With extremely high death rates, the disease could wipe out whole herds.

 

The last outbreak of the disease was reported in 2001. A coordinated and global mass vaccination campaign ended in 2006 after several decades. Rinderpest was unofficially declared eradicated by the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) in 2010.

 

“One of our most important partners has been the European Union that has, over a period of no less than fifty years, supported rinderpest eradication without wavering,” said Dr Dickens Chibeu of the Somali Ecosystem Rinderpest Eradication Coordination Unit in the InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources of the African Union.



Dr Chibeu spoke to capacity4dev.eu about rinderpest eradication at the EU Development Days in December:

 

The European Union has indeed been a leading force, contributing 390 million euro to rinderpest eradication over 50 years, made up of 340 million Euros from the Commission and a further 50 million Euros from EU Member States.

 

As well as improving food security in vulnerable communities across the developing world, the programme has also spearheaded innovative approaches that are now well embedded in practices. For example:

·    building the capacity of national veterinary services,

·    training and equipment of veterinary laboratories,

·    the establishment of epidemiological networks,

·    development and implementation of  participatory epidemiology,

·    collaboration between experts in wildlife and in livestock veterinary medicine,

·    strengthening the African Institution specialised in animal health

·    and production issues through the African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR).

 

“Yes, I accept that the main focus [of the programme] was rinderpest eradication but capacity building went hand in hand and that is something that is going to live beyond the projects,” said Dr Chibeu. “That is why I really put a lot of value to that aspect."