Launch of the OIE project “Vaccine Standards and Pilot Approach to Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) Control in Africa” (VSPA)

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) together with the African Union (AU) held a launch meeting for the project “Vaccine Standards and Pilot Approach to Peste des Petits Ruminants Control in Africa” at the AU Headquarters in Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia) from 11 to 12 February 2013.

High table with (from left to right) Ms. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture and Dr. Bernard Vallat, OIE Director-General. Picture (c) P. Bastiaensen (oie) 2013.

The project “Vaccine Standards and Pilot Approach to PPR Control in Africa” aims to establish a Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) Regional Vaccine Bank and develop a pilot strategy to control the disease in selected countries in Western Africa.

It also intends to strengthen the capacities of the Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre of the African Union (AU-PANVAC) to improve the quality control of PPR vaccines produced and used in Africa.

The meeting was a determining step forward in the effective deployment of the three components of the project and addressed the following:

Vaccine quality control component with discussions between laboratories producing PPR vaccines in Africa and AU-PANVAC;
Vaccine Bank with the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI), which was chosen to supply the PPR vaccines following an OIE international call for tender launched in October 2012. Among others, BVI will be responsible for delivering high quality vaccines and ensuring the rapid and smooth transportation of the vaccines requested to the countries of destination; an estimated 10 million vaccine doses will be delivered primarily to Burkina Faso and Ghana, as well as to other selected West African countries;
Development of a PPR control strategy : the protocol of the pilot field studies to be implemented in Burkina Faso and Ghana was presented, with the aim to provide countries and partners with PPR control methods relevant for all regional ecosystems and animal populations.

In October 2012, the OIE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation came together to support the control of PPR, a viral infectious disease affecting sheep and goats and which is prevalent in Africa.

The meeting gathered representatives of the OIE, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AU, AU-PANVAC, AU-IBAR, FAO, a selection of targeted countries in Western and Central Africa, representatives of African PPR vaccine producing laboratories, representatives from OIE PPR Reference Laboratories and several other partners including regional organisations, donor agencies and technical partners.

Dr George Matlho (left), General Manager of the Botswana Vaccine Institute (BVI) signs the contract for the establishment and maintenance of the PPR vaccine bank, whilst the OIE Director General, Dr. Vallat (right) and the Coordinator of the OIE World Animal Health and Welfare Fund, Dr Alain Dehove (centre) look on. Picture (c) P. Bastiaensen (oie) 2013.