Kazakhstan
A serological survey of livestock in Kazakhstan was carried out in 1997-1998 in which seroprevalence of several OIE List A diseases in Central Kazakhstan was investigated during the transition to post-Soviet agriculture, and relate the results to changing practices in farming and disease control. Much of Kazakhstan is semi-arid rangeland unsuitable for agriculture, so traditionally Kazakhs are nomadic livestock producers. Serum samples from 958 animals (cattle, sheep and goats) were tested for antibodies to different diseases including PPR and reported few seropositives for PPRV (Lundervold et al., 2004). Till the end of 2014, no cases of PPRV were officially reported to the OIE from Kazakhstan. Kock et al. (2015) reported first time clinicopathological, epidemiological and genetic characterization of PPRV in 3 farm level outbreaks in Zhambyl region (oblast), southern Kazakhstan. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial N gene sequence data confirms the lineage IV PPRV circulation, similar to the virus that was circulated in China. The isolated viruses were 99.5–99.7% identical to the PPRV isolated in 2014 from Heilongjiang Province in China and therefore this investigation provide evidence of transboundary spread of PPRV. There is a risk of further maintenance of virus in young stock despite vaccination of adult sheep and goats, along livestock trade and pastoral routes, threatening both small livestock and endangered susceptible wildlife populations throughout Kazakhstan and a threat to the neighboring regions.