Direct transmission
Fundamental :
PPR is one of the most highly contagious diseases of small ruminants.
Infection usually takes place through direct contact between susceptible and infected animals. In the early stages of infection, during hyperthermia, all bodily secretions and excretions are highly contaminated. Coughing and sneezing project virulent aerosols into the air.
The airborne transmission of the disease is horizontal. It is rapid within herds of animals living close together.
There is no vertical transmission of PPR through the placenta.
Complement :
Virus excretion begins during the incubation stage, before the appearance of the first clinical signs, and can last up to over 2 months following recovery, as has been observed in goat faeces. These periods of silent virus presence, without any visible clinical signs, increase the risk of disease spread to other small ruminants, and to dromedaries.
