A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index × Submit A-Z Index Search Dropdown × Submit Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate Emerging Infectious Disease journal ISSN: 1080-6059 Disclaimer: Early release articles are not considered as final versions. Any changes will be reflected in the online version in the month the article is officially released.
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease has spread in southeastern Europe since July 2024. Virus sequence analyses and field investigations covering 7 countries affected through January 2026 suggest that eastern Romania was the point of introduction and source of regional viral dissemination in the region. Cross-border transmission inferred from genetic data was strongly associated with official records of live animal trade; outbreak investigations indicate additional roles for illegal trade and indirect transmission. Important temporal gaps in the phylogeny suggest that PPR virus has been circulating undetected in multiple areas in southeastern Europe, as noted by the high variability of clinical signs in infected animals. Those findings highlight a real risk for continued spread across Europe. Increased awareness of the difficulty in detecting the disease, coordinated cross-border surveillance, timely data sharing, and integrated control measures are needed to stop the spread of PPR into Europe.
Figure 1 . Global distribution of PPR since 2016. Emergence in 2024–2026 is highlighted in Asia, particularly Vietnam, and in Europe (inset) in Greece, Romania, Hungary, Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia. Data source: World...
Since July 2024, the sheep and goat disease called peste des petits ruminants (PPR) has reemerged in Europe ( 1 ) ( Figure 1 ). After a limited incursion in Bulgaria in 2018, Europe is experiencing its largest recorded PPR epizootic in 2026. Listed as a category A animal disease within the European Union (EU), PPR requires immediate implementation of eradication mesures in infected holdings. During July 2024–January 2026, a total of 183 outbreaks, corresponding to small ruminant holdings with > 1 laboratory-confirmed case, were officially reported across Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia, resulting in the mass culling of hundreds of thousands of sheep and goats. Infections with PPR virus (PPRV; Morbillivirus caprinae ) are usually characterized by high rates of illness, including clear clinical symptoms including nasal discharge, mucosal erosion, and diarrhea ( 2 ), and deaths. In Europe, the clinical picture in is highly variable; many outbreaks are associated with lower mortality rate (0%–10%) and few or no clinical signs (e.g., limited nasal or ocular discharge, abortions) and are easily mistaken for other diseases or overlooked, which can delay detection of infections. Despite control measures that included movement restrictions, enhanced surveillance, and culling of infected herds, the disease continues to spread, highlighting the challenges in the early detection and containment of the disease in Europe. The situation is of particular concern considering the scale of small-ruminant production in Europe; ≈67 million sheep and goats are raised primarily in Spain, Greece, Romania, France, and Italy ( 3 , 4 ).
PPR is endemic in large parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, where it represents a major disease in small ruminant production ( Figure 1 ). Current evidence supports that other susceptible animals, such as wild ruminants, play a limited role in PP…