Abstract

A. S. Abdalla, A. A. Majok, K. H. El Malik and A. S. Ali*

The present cross-sectional survey was conducted in Blue Nile, Gadarif and North Kordofan states of Sudan. The study was conducted during the period May 2005 to September 2006 to provide an overview of the most important diseases affecting small ruminants’ productivity. Results of interviews with small ruminants’ keepers indicated that peste des petitis ruminants (PPR) was found to be one of the most important diseases in all the study areas, with minor variations in importance at individual state level. Analyses of the sera collected from small ruminants gave an overall sero-prevalence of PPR as 61.8%. However, PPR had a slightly higher ranking in importance in Gadarif and Blue Nile states, while respondents in North Kordofan did not report PPR as the most important disease, but reported a syndrome with diarrhea, pneumonia and sudden death. This syndrome was considered by the pastoralists as the most important condition which reduced their small ruminants’ numbers and denied them market access.