Ecthyma contagiosum (EC) is an acute viral disease that affects goats and sheep, widely spread throughout the world, including Brazil, especially in the Northeast Region, where goat and sheep farming is widely practised for the production of skin, meat and milk. Despite the endemic character of the disease and its importance, few research studies have been carried out in the country in relation to the EC virus, which can subsidise the control of the disease, based mainly on the vaccination of animals. ND is a disease that can be confused with vesicular diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, and thus needs to be differentiated. Vaccination against ND uses completely virulent microorganisms, and this vaccine does not prevent the disease, but reduces its severity and duration, being indicated in the active immunisation of sheep and goats, to prevent or minimise the severity of an outbreak.