Rift Valley Fever Essay

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Rift Valley Fever is a viral zoonotic disease that is arthropod-borne.1, 2, 3, 4 This viral disease primarily affects domestic animals but has the ability to affect humans.1, 3, 4 The severity of the disease can range from mild to severe and can be potentially fatal.1 An epidemic in the animal population, also known as an epizootic, could result in increased economic loss as the disease leads to livestock death and spontaneous abortion among pregnant animals .1, 2, 3, 4 A reduction in trade could also result contributing to further economic loss.1, 2, 3, 4 The virus which causes Rift Valley Fever is in the family Bunyaviridae and the genus Phlebovirus.1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Rift Valley Fever was first reported around 1910, but was not identified until a Kenyan sheep farm was investigated after an epidemic in 1931.1, 2, 3, 5 The common name of the virus was derived from the area which it was identified, the Rift Valley of Kenya.1 A majority of the reported outbreaks of Rift Valley Fever have been contained to Sub-Saharan and Northern Africa.1, 3, 4 The most notable animal outbreak of Rift Valley Fever occurred in Kenya from 1950 to 1951.3, 4 This outbreak resulted in the death of approximately 100,000 sheep.3, 4 An outbreak in Egypt resulted in approximately 600 human deaths and a significant number of animal deaths in 1977.3, 4 In September of 2000, the first cases of Rift Valley Fever outside of Africa were confirmed in Saudi Arabia and later in Yemen.1, 2, 3, 4 Since the confirmation of the disease outside of Africa, Rift Valley Fever has been identified as a priority disease that has the potential to emerge geographically.2
Transmission of Rift Valley Fever to Humans
Transmission of disease can be the result of a few dist...

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...t approximately 1%.1, 2, 3, 4 Transmission to humans is either through direct or indirect contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids or infection through the bite of an infected mosquito.1, 2, 3, 4 Rift Valley Fever has been found to have a high capacity for colonization which greatly increases its’ potential emergent risk in Western Nations.2 The virus itself can survive a wide range of bioclimatic environments due to its’ transmission routes.2 The introduction of Rift Valley Fever into regions that were previously unaffected may be due to the potential movement of hosts and vectors through trade or migration.2 The mechanical transport of arthropod vectors is the most probable mechanism of disease dispersal.2 The potential for geographical spread of Rift Valley Fever is the reason why the disease has been identified as a priority emerging disease.2

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