News: India has joined an exclusive global network for containing the Rinderpest virus, with the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, designated as a Category A Rinderpest Holding Facility. Rinderpest
About Rinderpest Holding Facility
- This facility has been recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
- Significance for India: This recognition places India among only six facilities worldwide entrusted with the critical responsibility of securely storing rinderpest virus material. The other five are located in the United Kingdom, United States, France, Japan, and Ethiopia.
About Rinderpest (also known as Cattle Plague):
- Rinderpest is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals, primarily cattle and buffalo.
- Cause: It is caused by a virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family, genus Morbillivirus.
- Transmission: The disease spreads through close contact but does not infect humans. It can be fatal for affected animals. Those that recover develop lifelong immunity.
- Rinderpest is notable for being the second infectious disease to be eradicated globally, after smallpox.
