From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine 

Sheep pox and goat pox (SPGP) is a contagious viral disease affecting sheep and goats. Ireland does not have Sheep and goat pox but an outbreak here could have a very negative impact on animal welfare and the livestock sector.

An outbreak of SPGP would result in Ireland’s loss of disease-freedom from Sheep and goat pox potentially leading to a serious economic impact on the agricultural industry due to trade implications, in addition to production losses as a result of the disease.

SPGP is a notifiable disease, which means that any suspected case of SPGP must be reported to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine without delay.

The viruses causing SPGP affect domestic and wild sheep and goats. SPGP is caused by sheeppox virus and goatpox virus, these are closely related viruses but affect sheep and goats to varying degrees.

Certain breeds are more susceptible to infection, such as breeds of European origin. Level of immunity and age of the animal may also affect the severity of the disease.

SPGP is not considered to pose a risk to human health, nor does it pose a food safety risk.

In September 2022, Spain (in Andalucía, in the south of the country) reported the first outbreak of SPGP in the EU since outbreaks in Greece and Bulgaria in 2014.

SPGP is endemic in many areas in Africa (including countries in the north of the continent, such as Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), the Middle East and Asia. Bhutan, Israel, Mongolia and western Russia have reported outbreaks of SPGP in recent years to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), while Turkey has made reports to the EU’s Animal Disease Information System.

The last known case in Ireland was in the 19th century.

The viruses causing SPGP can be found in skin lesions and their scabs, saliva, nasal and conjunctival secretions, as well as milk, urine, faeces and semen.

The virus can be spread through a number of routes. The most common way the virus is spread is through aerosols following close direct contact with an infected animal. The virus can also enter through mucous membranes or broken skin. Contaminated materials such as equipment, vehicles, fodder or bedding can also spread the virus. The scabs from lesions contain abundant amounts of virus which can contaminate the environment (e.g. soil and penned areas) and remain viable for months. It is thought that insects can spread the virus by transferring it mechanically from an infected animal to another animal, however, this is not considered an important route of transmission.

Clinical signs generally appear 1-2 weeks after infection, however experimental infections have resulted in clinical signs appearing within 2-4 days.

Clinical signs found in infected animals range from inapparent to severe. Up to 100% of animals may die from the infection, particularly young animals or those without immunity. Clinical signs include:

• Discharges from the eyes and nose

• Breathing difficulties (if lesions form in the lungs or due to enlargement of lymph nodes)

Images of the clinical signs can be found here (Courtesy of the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine)

The skin lesions are usually found on the sparsely wooled/ haired areas in the axillae (between the inside of the front legs and the body), muzzle, eyelids, ears, mammary glands and inguinal area (between the hindlegs). Severe cases may have lesions covering the entire body. The skin lesions initially appear as small reddened areas before developing a depressed centre and becoming whitish grey due to tissue death. The lesions are 0.5-1.5 cm in size. The skin around the lesion remains reddened. A dark, hard scab develops after 5-10 days which may persist for up to six weeks.

The clinical signs of SPGP are highly characteristic, however, a mild form may have similar clinical signs to other diseases, such as orf, photosensitisation, bluetongue, dermatophilosis, mange, etc.

If you suspect SPGP in one of your animals you must report it immediately to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

Contact your local Regional Veterinary Office (RVO) or the National Disease Emergency Hotline on 01 492 8026 (outside of office hours) to report a suspect case.

The most likely route of entry of the virus into Ireland is through importation of an infected animal. The virus may also enter the country through contaminated materials such as equipment, vehicles, wool or fodder.

Strict rules are in place to prevent the entry of SPGP into Ireland. Countries/ regions with outbreaks of SPGP are not permitted to export sheep or goats to EU Member States. Animals entering Ireland from non-EU countries require veterinary health certificates and are inspected on arrival.

Vehicles that transported animals in SPGP infected areas should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before returning to Ireland.

Anyone returning from an area known or suspected to be affected with SPGP should not visit a premises with sheep or goats without taking appropriate biosecurity measures such as cleaning and disinfection of clothing and footwear.

Biosecurity is the combination of all measures, whether physical or through management, taken to reduce the risk of introduction and spread of diseases. Biosecurity is the basis of all disease control programs, as improved biosecurity will result in lower rates of disease overall. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to biosecurity as the circumstances of each farm or premises are unique. Therefore, biosecurity measures must be tailored to each individual setting.

Biosecurity is about preventing disease from getting in to a premises but also in the event of an outbreak, minimising spread within a premises and ensuring that disease doesn’t get out to infect other pigs.

Biosecurity does not have to be expensive. Small changes can have a large impact e.g. quarantine of recently purchased animals away from the rest of the flock for at least 4 weeks, disinfection points for boots at the entrance/exits to all sheep and goat housing, handwashing.

The best protection for your flock against sheep and goat diseases, is a strong biosecurity policy. Good biosecurity improves overall herd health and productivity by helping to keep out disease. In the event of an outbreak, it also limits the spread of disease within and off your premises.

Biosecurity Advice for Farmers Importing Livestock

In the event of an outbreak of SPGP in Ireland, control measures are introduced to eradicate the disease. Restriction zones, known as protection (3 km) and surveillance (10 km) zones are established around the location of an outbreak. Susceptible animals on the affected farm are culled and tracing of any movements of in contact animals and animal products is performed. Monitoring and sampling of animals on farms within these zones is carried out as well as restrictions on any activities that may spread the disease to other animals or farms.

World Organisation for Animal Health (founded as OIE) Technical Disease Card: Sheep pox and goat pox

Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine Sheep Pox and Goat Pox Technical Factsheet

European Food Safety Agency Scientific Opinion on sheep and goat pox

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