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PPR vaccination (detailed schedule and NADCP rollout)

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is the most economically damaging viral disease of sheep and goats in India, causing acute pneumonia, diarrhoea and 50-90 percent mortality in unvaccinated outbreaks. Mass vaccination of all sheep and goats is the central strategy of the Government of India's National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP), which aims to eradicate PPR from India by 2030 in line with the global FAO-OIE PPR eradication roadmap.

Vaccine and principle

The standard vaccine used in India is PPR Vaccine Sungri 96, a live attenuated vaccine developed by ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Bareilly from a field isolate of PPR virus. The vaccine is a freeze-dried preparation reconstituted with chilled normal saline and administered as a 1 ml subcutaneous dose in the neck region. A single dose induces protective immunity within 7-10 days that lasts a minimum of 3 years, but field data from IVRI and OIE indicate that the protection in most animals is lifelong. The vaccine is supplied through state Animal Husbandry Departments and is free under NADCP.

Implementation schedule

Primary vaccination: - Lambs and kids born to vaccinated dams: at 4 months of age (maternal antibody decline complete). - Lambs and kids born to unvaccinated dams: at 3 months of age. - Adult sheep and goats during a NADCP campaign: single dose, no age restriction except <3 months.

Booster: every 3 years under standard practice; under NADCP no booster is given during the eradication phase because once-only mass coverage at 100 percent of the flock for 3 consecutive years is targeted.

Cold-chain requirements: storage and transport at 2-8 deg C from district veterinary store to field vaccinator. Reconstituted vaccine must be used within 4 hours and discarded at the end of the session - no carry-over. The vaccine is sensitive to heat and direct sunlight; ice packs are mandatory in field transport.

NADCP rollout

NADCP was launched in September 2019 with an outlay of Rs 13,343 crore for FMD and PPR control over five years. The PPR component targets vaccination of approximately 20 crore sheep and goats every year through state-led mass campaigns conducted in two rounds (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon). District veterinary teams, supported by para-veterinarians and field assistants, organise village-level vaccination camps with ear-tag tracking. Each vaccinated animal receives a uniform 8-digit ear tag linked to the INAPH (Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health) database, enabling traceability and coverage monitoring.

Field practice and limitations

Deworming with an appropriate broad-spectrum anthelmintic 7-14 days before vaccination ensures good immune response. The vaccine should not be administered to clinically ill animals, late-gestation does/ewes (within 1 month of parturition) or animals under stress (long-distance migration, hot weather, transport). Migratory flocks (Migratory Sheep Grazing) and stationary commercial flocks of Nellore sheep, Madras Red sheep, Osmanabadi goat, Sirohi goat and Boer-cross goats are all included under NADCP - state Animal Husbandry Departments operate mobile vaccination teams along migration routes to bridge coverage gaps.

Major implementation challenges are achieving full 100 percent coverage in mobile flocks, vaccine cold-chain integrity in remote tracts, and ensuring proper ear-tagging and INAPH data entry. Despite these challenges, India's PPR sero-positivity rates have declined sharply in surveyed districts since 2019, indicating NADCP progress.

Sources

National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP). Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
PPR Vaccine Sungri 96. ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute.
PPR Eradication Roadmap. FAO/World Organisation for Animal Health.