FAO Warns Deadly “Small Ruminant Plague” Threatens Millions of Livestock and Livelihoods in Afghanistan

KABUL – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued an urgent warning about the rapid spread of a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), threatening over 21 million sheep and goats across Afghanistan. The outbreak poses a catastrophic risk to the nation’s rural economy and food security.

The FAO, in a statement released Tuesday, described PPR—commonly known as “sheep and goat plague”—as a primary threat to the survival of herds that are the cornerstone of livelihood for a majority of rural Afghan families. The organization is launching an emergency nationwide vaccination campaign to curb the virus’s spread, but warns that the country’s fragile agricultural system, already buckling under prolonged drought, environmental degradation, and a crippled veterinary infrastructure, is at a breaking point.

A Disease of Poverty and Devastation

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) has a mortality rate that can reach 90% in naive herds, killing animals with severe fever, respiratory distress, and diarrhea. For surviving animals, the disease causes lasting weakness and reduced productivity, making them more susceptible to other illnesses.

“The loss of a single goat or sheep can mean the difference between a family eating or going hungry,” explained a senior FAO livestock officer. “When we talk about 21 million animals at risk, we are talking about the potential economic annihilation of entire communities. This isn’t just an animal health issue; it’s a humanitarian one.”

The crisis is exacerbated by a perfect storm of pre-existing challenges. Years of recurring drought have decimated pastures, forcing herders to sell animals they can no longer feed and leaving those that remain malnourished and highly vulnerable to disease. Furthermore, the collapse of national veterinary services following the government’s transition in 2021 has left a vast gap in animal healthcare, making disease surveillance and control exponentially more difficult.

A Race Against Time: The Vaccination Campaign

In response, the FAO, with critical financial backing from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Kingdom, has initiated a massive vaccination drive targeting all 34 provinces. The campaign aims to create a protective shield for the national herd, preventing widespread death and the ensuing economic collapse.

“This intervention is a critical stopgap,” the FAO officer added. “Our immediate goal is to contain the outbreak and prevent mass mortality. However, the long-term objective is to use this campaign as a foundation to rebuild Afghanistan’s livestock health system from the ground up.”

The vaccination effort is part of a broader global strategy led by the FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to eradicate PPR worldwide by 2030. Success in Afghanistan, a country with one of the largest small ruminant populations in the world, is considered crucial to this international goal.

An Urgent Plea to the International Community

The FAO has issued a stark call to international donors for sustained support, warning that a fragmented or short-term response would be ineffective and could lead to irreversible damage.

“Afghanistan’s livestock sector is an economic lifeline,” the FAO statement emphasized. “Without consistent and scaled-up intervention, we risk not only a devastating loss of animal life but a precipitous slide into deeper, more widespread food insecurity for millions of people.”

The organization stressed that protecting livestock is one of the most cost-effective ways to safeguard nutrition and income in a country where over 80% of the population relies on agriculture. The international community’s commitment, they argue, will determine whether this crisis is averted or becomes a full-blown catastrophe.

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