China confirms goat plague outbreak in Gansu

China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Friday confirmed an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants, also known as goat plague, in northwest China's Gansu Province. On Jan. 22, a farm in Gulang County of Wuwei City reported that 951 goats showed suspected symptoms of the disease and 111 of them had died. The country's exotic animal disease research center on Friday confirmed that the epidemic was peste des petits ruminants. Local authorities have sealed off and sterilized the infected area where the infected goats and goats from the same herds are being culled and safely disposed of to prevent the disease from spreading, according to the MOA. Peste des petits ruminants, also known as PPR, goat plague or ovine rinderpest, is a contagious disease mainly affecting goats and sheep. The virus causes fever, lesions, labored breathing and diarrhea in infected animals.