rinderpest, also called steppe murrain, cattle plague, or contagious bovine typhus, an acute, highly contagious viral disease of ruminant animals, primarily cattle, that was once common in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East.

Where was rinderpest found?

As the map shows, Rinderpest was only ever endemic in Europe, Asia and Africa – in addition to this there were two isolated outbreaks in Brazil in 1920 and Australia in 1923. In 1994, the FAO launched the Global Rinderpest Eradication Programme (GREP) with the goal of eradication by 2010.

Which continent did the rinderpest spread?

Devastating epizootics of rinderpest occurred across Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and a massive epizootic spread throughout sub-Saharan Africa in the late 19th century (1887–97), decimating populations of cattle and certain wildlife.

When did the rinderpest start?

Rinderpest is alleged to have been imported from Europe into the United States in the 1860s but did not become established [27, 28]. After a massive epizootic in 1709 [29–31], programs to control rinderpest constituted one of Europe's major public health efforts.

When was the rinderpest in South Africa?

In the 1890s, an epizootic of the rinderpest virus struck Africa, considered to be "the most devastating epidemic to hit southern Africa in the late nineteenth century".

How We Eradicated Cattle Plague

38 related questions found

Who brought rinderpest to Africa?

According to Lugard (1893) the plague was introduced along the East Coast of Africa, opposite Aden, in 1889. The infection was probably introduced from Arabia or India. It was believed that the disease was carried southward along the Nile in 1890 by the Italian armies.

When did rinderpest arrive in Africa?

Rinderpest was introduced into sub-Saharan Africa in 1887 when infected cattle from India were imported into Ethiopia to feed Italian soldiers. The disease infected local cattle with 90% mortality, and over the next decade spread across the continent.

What is epizootic and enzootic?

Epizootiology deals with epizootic and enzootic levels of animal disease. An epizootic is defined as an outbreak of disease in which there is an unusually large number of cases, whereas an enzootic refers to a low level of disease that is constantly present in a population (Steinhaus, 1967; Onstad et al., 2006).

What is Rift Valley Fever?

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease most commonly seen in domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels. People can get RVF through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, or through bites from infected mosquitoes.

When did India eradicate rinderpest?

The International Committee of World Organization for Animal Health OIE recognized India as free from Rinderpest infection on 25th May, 2006.

How did rinderpest enter Africa?

There was a large scale infection (pandemic) in Africa that caused major changes to animal life. Rinderpest entered in 1887 at Massawa from Indian cattle for the Italian army. Rinderpest swept from the Horn of Africa west to the Atlantic and south to the Cape of Good Hope.

How did the elimination of rinderpest in the Serengeti affect the buffalo population?

Following reduction of rinderpest and buffalo population increase, interspecific competition for food, notably with cattle and wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus Burchell), was thought to be the primary regulatory factor in the ecosystem.

How did rinderpest spread in Africa?

More recently, another rinderpest outbreak that raged across much of Africa in 1982-84 is estimated to have cost at least $500 million. Rinderpest is mainly spread by direct contact and by drinking water that has been infected by the dung of sick animals.

How did the wildebeest get rinderpest?

Rinderpest disease is caused by a virus that affects hoofed animals, including cattle and wildebeest. In the 1950s, a cattle vaccination program was implemented to eradicate the disease in the Serengeti, and this led to dramatic changes in the populations of wildebeest and other species.

Does rinderpest still exist?

Rinderpest is the second infectious disease, after smallpox, to have been eradicated. However, potentially infectious rinderpest virus material remains widely disseminated among research and diagnostic facilities across the world and poses a risk for disease recurrence should it be released.

What countries have valley fever?

The fungus that causes Valley fever lives in the soil in the southwestern United States, south-central Washington State, and parts of Mexico and Central and South America.

How many people have died from Rift Valley Fever?

Following small sporadic outbreaks of Rift Valley fever in 2008-2009, a widespread epidemic occurred in 2010 and 2011 in South Africa. More than 250 human cases occurred, including 25 deaths, and more 14,000 animal cases, with 8,000 deaths, occurring in animals.

How do animals get RVF?

How can my animal get Rift Valley fever? Rift Valley fever is spread to animals through the bite of an infected mosquito (vector) and possibly ticks and biting midges.

What is Zoonose?

Related Pages. Zoonotic diseases (also known as zoonoses) are caused by germs that spread between animals and people.

What is the Epizootics?

: an outbreak of disease affecting many animals of one kind at the same time also : the disease itself.

What is enzootic area?

Enzootic is the non-human equivalent of endemic and means, in a broad sense, "belonging to" or "native to", "characteristic of", or "prevalent in" a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; native to an area or scope.

Where was cattle plague spread 1890?

The rinderpest epidemic of the 1890's was apparently the first in Africa; it swept through a whole continent of susceptible animals at a time when the only country to have a veterinary service was Cape Colony, and when the ox was the principal means of transport.

How long did it take to eradicate rinderpest?

The FAO, which had been co-ordinating the global eradication program for the disease, announced in November 2009 that it expected the disease to be eradicated within 18 months.

Who developed a vaccine against rinderpest?

Vaccine developments

Robert Koch developed the first form of a rinderpest vaccine in 1897 when he noted that animals could be protected from the disease by injecting them with blood and bile from an infected animal7.