Tanzania’s Prime minister seeks funding to end animal disease
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Prime Minister Dr Mwigulu Nchemba of Tanzania urged international investors to provide sustained funding to eradicate peste des petits ruminants (PPR), a contagious disease that affects sheep and goats, by 2040.
He spoke at an international conference organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) focusing on a One Health approach to food and agriculture.
Dr Nchemba emphasised that national funding and ownership are essential, but require support from organisations like the FAO, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the African Union, and private companies. Conference attendees agreed that increasing PPR vaccine production is critical for controlling and eliminating the disease. Leaders also called for investment in research, modern laboratories, and scientific approaches to disease control.
Participants referenced the successful eradication of rinderpest in 2011 as a model, noting that long-term investment is now needed to extend similar success to PPR. Several speakers, including FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi and European Union Ambassador Dr Martin Selmayr, stressed the importance of learning from past successes and avoiding repeated vaccination campaigns without a clear end strategy.
The Gates Foundation also expressed its willingness to collaborate with the European Union and countries to encourage increased national investment in PPR eradication. Tanzania’s Minister for Agriculture, Daniel Chongolo, noted the conference discussions highlighted the importance of integrating health into the entire food and livestock production chain.
