Spread and impact of goat pox (“sagolay bohonta”) in a village smallholder community around Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India

Abstract

During September and October 2017, a highly fatal outbreak of a disease clinically indistinguishable from goat pox occurred in the villages around the Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India. This was investigated through clinical examination of affected animals, individual interviews with goat keepers and participatory village meetings. Laboratory confirmation was impractical due to the isolation and poverty of the affected community and unnecessary due to the specific nature of the clinical signs. Respondents reported not having encountered the disease previously, and it would appear that a naïve local population developed within an endemically affected region because of a trend to avoid purchasing animals from outside the village. Local grazing practices appear to have had a role in both the spread and control of the outbreak. Goats are an important form of savings and cash income to people in the locality, and the outbreak may result in considerable financial hardship for affected goat keepers. We provide a detailed description of the clinical disease and the spread of the outbreak in the locality. Awareness of the disease with reference to farming practices will provide opportunities for future disease control to enhance animal welfare and rural prosperity.

Extended sequencing of vaccine and wild‐type capripoxvirus isolates provides insights into genes modulating virulence and host range

“…Capripoxviruses cause significant economic losses for the world's livestock industries and devastate the lives of small farm holders (Hopker et al, ). Genetically stable vaccines that can produce long‐term immunity against all three capripoxvirus members, and in the different host species, would be an asset to halt the continued spread of these agents.…”

Transboundary Animal Diseases, an Overview of 17 Diseases with Potential for Global Spread and Serious Consequences

“…In contrast to a disease with such obviously devastating impacts, it can be challenging to demonstrate the overall importance of eradicating diseases with low mortality or that primarily affect animals of lower individual value or that are relied on mainly by individuals in poverty-stricken regions [519,612]. Approaches that include participatory epidemiology and studies focusing on the impact on small stakeholders could help address these issues [3,271,652,653].…”

Animal health perceptions and challenges among smallholder farmers around Kaziranga National Park, Assam, India: A study using participatory epidemiological techniques

“…FMD outbreaks are common in the region, along with reactive vaccination programmes focused on the villages close to the KNP. Goat pox was however a novel disease in the villages (despite being classes as endemic in the region), and this condition raised a high level of fear and uncertainty among farmers [14]. As a result of these investigations the presence of goat pox was reported to the local authorities and a vaccination programme initiated.…”

“…Despite the local agricultural cycle being planned to take annual flooding into account, flooding results in damage to homes and property, disrupted livestock grazing, the deaths of animals, crop damage, and lost working days [13]. Animal movements, gathering of animals on high ground, and purchase of replacement livestock for those lost during flooding are key drivers of the spread of animal disease in the region [14].…”

“…Common known parasitic infestations include sarcoptic mange, fasciolosis, and gastrointestinal nematodes. Previous studies have examined the prevalence or impact of specific diseases such as foot- and-mouth disease [ 17 ]; haemorrhagic septicaemia [ 18 ]; peste de petits ruminants [ 19 ]; goat pox [ 14 ]; gastrointestinal parasitism and fascioliosis [ 20 ]. There is a pressing need to understand the relative impact of the full range of conditions on animal health and productivity in the region, and the effect of those conditions on the communities that depend on livestock for their livelihoods.…”