FAO launches regional training workshop on PPR disease

AMMAN — The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture in Jordan launched on Sunday the first day of the Regional Laboratory Training within the framework of “Implementation of the Peste des petits ruminants [PPR] Global Eradication Programme in Jordan, including assessment of risks, distribution and establishment of a reliable surveillance system”. It is funded by the Defence Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

The five-day workshop will be conducted by a mission of trainers from the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna with the participation of veterinarians from Egypt, Turkey and Jordan.

On behalf of Khaled Hnaifat, minister of agriculture, the chief veterinary officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Issam Hawwa appreciated FAO’s continued cooperation with the livestock sector in the ministry through implementing projects related to animal health and providing support for the development of disease surveillance systems through the use of comprehensive tools such as the Surveillance evaluation Tool and conducting the joint risk assessment of the Tripartite Guide and the Surveillance Project. 

FAO Representative in Jordan Nabil Assaf, said: “In 2016, FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health launched the Global PPR Eradication Programme to achieve the ‘elimination of the disease’ target in 2030, and a global strategy for the control and eradication of PPR was developed, based on the gradual decline in the incidence of peste small ruminants and its spread through targeted vaccination programmes.” 

He added: “Currently, FAO, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, is implementing the activities of the “Global Eradication of Peste des Petits Ruminants in Jordan” programme supported by the DTRA, including risk and prevalence assessment and establishing a reliable surveillance system for the disease to enhance national capacity in managing PPR from By improving understanding of disease risks, mapping its spread, and establishing a monitoring system in Jordan to build the capacity of the livestock sector to confront animal diseases and thus maintain livestock and food security.”