Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia?
Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Zambia was first reported in 1974 during an epizootic of cattle and sheep that occurred in parts of Central, Southern and Copperbelt Provinces. In 1990, the disease was documented in nine districts of the provinces of Zambia. In the last two decades, there have been no...
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doaj-0b95ce356ad644ec9d79b90071dcdc582020-11-24T21:37:20ZengAOSISOnderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research0030-24652219-06352012-06-01792e1e610.4102/ojvr.v79i2.466343Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia?George Dautu0Calvin Sindato1Aaron S. Mweene2Kenny L. Samui3Polly Roy4Robert Noad5Janusz Paweska6Phelix A.O. Majiwa7Antony Musoke8Department of Disease Control, University of ZambiaNational Institute for Medical Research, TaboraDepartment of Disease Control, University of ZambiaDepartment of Disease Control, University of ZambiaLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, LondonRoyal Veterinary College, HatfieldNational Institute for Communicable Diseases, JohannesburgOnderstepoort Veterinary Institute, OnderstepoortOnderstepoort Veterinary Institute, OnderstepoortRift Valley fever (RVF) in Zambia was first reported in 1974 during an epizootic of cattle and sheep that occurred in parts of Central, Southern and Copperbelt Provinces. In 1990, the disease was documented in nine districts of the provinces of Zambia. In the last two decades, there have been no reports of RVF. This long period without reported clinical disease raises questions as to whether RVF is a current or just a perceived threat. To address this question, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) disease occurrence data on RVF for the period 2005−2010 in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) was analysed. From the analysis, it was evident that most countries that share a common border with Zambia had reported at least one occurrence of the disease during the period under review. Due to the absence of natural physical barriers between Zambia and most of her neighbours, informal livestock trade and movements is a ubiquitous reality. Analysis of the rainfall patterns also showed that Zambia received rains sufficient to support a mosquito population large enough for high risk of RVF transmission. The evidence of disease occurrence in nearby countries coupled with animal movement, and environmental risk suggests that RVF is a serious threat to Zambia. In conclusion, the current occurrence of RVF in Zambia is unclear, but there are sufficient indications that the magnitude of the circulating infection is such that capacity building in disease surveillance and courses on recognition of the disease for field staff is recommended. Given the zoonotic potential of RVF, these measures are also a prerequisite for accurate assessment of the disease burden in humans.https://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/view/466Rift Valley Feverrainfallvectorsurveillance |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
George Dautu Calvin Sindato Aaron S. Mweene Kenny L. Samui Polly Roy Robert Noad Janusz Paweska Phelix A.O. Majiwa Antony Musoke |
spellingShingle |
George Dautu Calvin Sindato Aaron S. Mweene Kenny L. Samui Polly Roy Robert Noad Janusz Paweska Phelix A.O. Majiwa Antony Musoke Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia? Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research Rift Valley Fever rainfall vector surveillance |
author_facet |
George Dautu Calvin Sindato Aaron S. Mweene Kenny L. Samui Polly Roy Robert Noad Janusz Paweska Phelix A.O. Majiwa Antony Musoke |
author_sort |
George Dautu |
title |
Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia? |
title_short |
Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia? |
title_full |
Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia? |
title_fullStr |
Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rift Valley fever: Real or perceived threat for Zambia? |
title_sort |
rift valley fever: real or perceived threat for zambia? |
publisher |
AOSIS |
series |
Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research |
issn |
0030-2465 2219-0635 |
publishDate |
2012-06-01 |
description |
Rift Valley fever (RVF) in Zambia was first reported in 1974 during an epizootic of cattle and sheep that occurred in parts of Central, Southern and Copperbelt Provinces. In 1990, the disease was documented in nine districts of the provinces of Zambia. In the last two decades, there have been no reports of RVF. This long period without reported clinical disease raises questions as to whether RVF is a current or just a perceived threat. To address this question, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) disease occurrence data on RVF for the period 2005−2010 in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) was analysed. From the analysis, it was evident that most countries that share a common border with Zambia had reported at least one occurrence of the disease during the period under review. Due to the absence of natural physical barriers between Zambia and most of her neighbours, informal livestock trade and movements is a ubiquitous reality. Analysis of the rainfall patterns also showed that Zambia received rains sufficient to support a mosquito population large enough for high risk of RVF transmission. The evidence of disease occurrence in nearby countries coupled with animal movement, and environmental risk suggests that RVF is a serious threat to Zambia. In conclusion, the current occurrence of RVF in Zambia is unclear, but there are sufficient indications that the magnitude of the circulating infection is such that capacity building in disease surveillance and courses on recognition of the disease for field staff is recommended. Given the zoonotic potential of RVF, these measures are also a prerequisite for accurate assessment of the disease burden in humans. |
topic |
Rift Valley Fever rainfall vector surveillance |
url |
https://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/view/466 |
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