East Asia:
China: As per retrospective analysis of 2014, PPR infection caused extensive agricultural losses across China. In 2007, PPRV was detected for the first time in the Ngari region of southwestern Tibet (Wang et al., 2009). This emergence was thought to have arisen through the circulation of mild forms of PPRV infection and the unfamiliarity of agricultural workers and professionals (e.g., veterinarians, farmers, livestock owners) with the disease and the inability to differentiate between mild forms of PPRV infections and other diseases of small ruminants. PPRV was controlled by using stamping-out procedures, animal movement control, and increased screening of herds. The disease was controlled without the use of vaccines in 2008 while vaccination was used in 2010 (ProMed China., 2014).
Six years passed after the first reports of PPR in Tibet of China before the virus was detected in Xinjiang, China’s largest administrative division, in December 2013. Xinjiang, an area of 1.6 million km2, borders Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia and Tajikistan, several of which have reported PPRV infection. Within 2 months, PPRV had caused 3 outbreaks with rates of illness (and death) of 17% (2%), 58% (11%), and 79% (19%), respectively. Measures to contain these outbreaks were implemented as in 2007; however, during April and May 2014, the number of PPRV outbreaks increased sharply across much of China, including in Anhui, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Shanxi, Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Zhejiang Provinces. The origin of these outbreaks remains undefined; however, the ability of the virus to circulate causing mild clinical disease and its presence in numerous neighboring countries suggest several possibilities regarding the source of disease, including potentially spread from the original outbreaks in China. A study was conducted to investigate the epidemic characteristics of PPR outbreaks in China from 2013 to 2018. A total of 41,876 PPR outbreaks were recorded in small ruminant populations in PR China during that period. Data from February to June 2018 were used to study new developments in the PPR epidemic in China. Spatio-temporal clusters and temporal distribution patterns were studied based on PPR notifications. In this study it was investigated that observed patterns of seasonality were characterized by peaks in April of 2014. Spatio-temporal clusters occurred in Yunnan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Heilongjiang province and Chongqing municipality. Hunan province reported PPR occurrences every year from 2014 to June 2018. Yunnan, Jiangsu and Anhui province have 56, 33 and 30 epidemic locations, respectively. PPR infections were first reported as the cause of death for 19 wild bharals in Qinghai province in 2018. All of this suggests that domestic trading of sheep and goats may be closely related to the spread of PPR. Prophylactic immunization in suspected animal populations or areas is recommended for the control of PPR and wild small ruminants should be monitored. It is concluded that to provide improved knowledge about PPR dynamics in PR China, which could be helpful in designing more effective prevention strategies. Similarly, the threat of further spread from China to neighboring countries cannot be ignored (Gao et al., 2019).