Epidemiology and Economic Importance of Sheep and Goat Pox: A Review on Past and Current Aspects

Sheep and goat pox is highly devastating viral systemic disease of sheep and got. This disease is manifested by skin and internal lesions, fever, conjunctivitis, with oculonasal discharge and excess salivation. The objective of this paper was to review epidemiology and economic importance sheep and goat pox with special emphasis on both the past and currents aspects. The causative agent of Sheep and goat pox is sheep and goat pox virus of family poxoviaride, genus capripoxvirus. The poxviruses of Sheep pox and goat pox viruses are distinct, but hard to differentiate and Recombination can occur. Sheep and goat virus can survive in the environment for prolonged time. Today, Sheep and Goat Pox is found in most parts of Africa (mainly north of the equator), portion of India, central Asia (including south Russia and western China) and the Middle East. In Ethiopia, the disease is distributed in all regions and in endemic areas the disease are economically important due to production losses because of decreased weight gain, milk yield, damage to wool and hides, cause abortion, and increased susceptibility to other disease, while also being a direct cause of death. The diseases are more severe in young animal then adults. Infected animals can acts as the main cause of spreading SGP viruses. Since these diseases have no effective drug the treatment should be directed at preventing secondary bacterial infection. Furthermore, the animal should be vaccinated with commercially available attenuated vaccine as the main control measure in endemic regions.