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Rift Valley fever (RVF), an emerging mosquito-borne zoonotic infectious viral disease caused by the RVF virus (RVFV) (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus), presents significant threats to global public health and agriculture in Africa and the Middle East. RVFV is listed as a select agent with significant potential for international spread and use in bioterrorism. RVFV has caused large, devastating periodic epizootics and epidemics in Africa over the past ∼60 years, with severe economic and nutritional impacts on humans from illness and livestock loss. In the past 15 years alone, RVFV caused tens of thousands of human cases, hundreds of human deaths, and more than 100,000 domestic animal deaths. Cattle, sheep, goats, and camels are particularly susceptible to RVF and serve as amplifying hosts for the virus. This review highlights recent research on RVF, focusing on vectors and their ecology, transmission dynamics, and use of environmental and climate data to predict disease outbreaks. Important directions for future research are also discussed.
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Download all Supplemental Material as a single PDF (includes Supplemental Figures 1–2, also reproduced below).
Supplemental Figure 1. Sheep exhibiting morbidity and mortality on a farm in Kenya during the 2006-2007 epizootic/epidemic in the Horn of Africa. The RVF outbreak led to abortions and high mortality in sheep populations. Exotic breeds are particularly susceptible to RVFV infection, and young and adult sheep can die and pregnant ewes abort.
Supplemental Figure 2. Typical flooded dambo habitat associated with immature mosquito development and the source of RVFV-infected Aedes mosquitoes in East and Central Africa. Immature Aedes and Culex mosquitoes occur in very high numbers in these habitats and can be readily collected after periods of abnormally high rainfall and flooding events.