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.