Abstract:
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute, highly contagious, and economically important transboundary viral disease of sheep
and goats. It is among the major infectious diseases that affect the production and productivity of small ruminants in Ethiopia.
Cross-sectional and retrospective studies were undertaken to estimate the sero-prevalence, risk factors, and distribution of PPR in
Amhara region. A total of 672 (329 sheep and 343 goats) sera were collected from 30 kebeles in 10 districts. Of the 672 sheep and
goat sera samples tested using c-ELISA, 123 were positive for PPR antibodies, with the overall prevalence of 18.30% (95%CI
15.37, 21.24). The sero-prevalence of PPR was 21.57% (95%CI 17.15, 25.86) in goats and 14.89% (95%CI 10.96–18.65) in
sheep. The variation of sero-prevalence among study zones was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The highest sero-prevalence
was reported in Awi zone (55.34%) followed by South Gondar (15.89%), North Gondar (13.64%), East Gojjam (7.93%), and
West Gojjam (6.62%) zones. Among host- and environment-related risk factors, species, sex, agro-ecology, and location of the
study were significantly associated with PPR sero-positivity. The analysis of 5-year retrospective data (2010–2014) revealed high
occurrence of PPR in the Amhara region with a total occurrence of 63 outbreaks (3978 cases and 919 deaths). In conclusion, the
study revealed that PPR is an important and widely distributed disease of small ruminants in Amhara region. Appropriate control
strategy including regular surveillance and vaccination is recommended to mitigate the challenge of PPR
