Rinderpest, devastating cattle disease, declared eradicated

PARIS: A devastating cattle disease known as rinderpest has been eradicated, an unprecedented achievement, the world monitor for trade in farm animals declared on Wednesday.

Viciously contagious and often fatal, the rinderpest virus is also known as cattle plague.

It has been a curse for farmers throughout the ages, often contributing to famines that in turn have fuelled turbulence and war.