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. 2018 Dec;18(12):713-715.
doi: 10.1089/vbz.2018.2357. Epub 2018 Sep 5.

Human Cases of Rift Valley Fever in South Africa, 2018

Petrus Jansen van Vuren  1 , Joe Kgaladi  1 , Venessa Patharoo  1 , Phumza Ohaebosim  1 , Veerle Msimang  1 , Babsy Nyokong  2 , Janusz T Paweska  1
Affiliations

Human Cases of Rift Valley Fever in South Africa, 2018

Petrus Jansen van Vuren et al. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Major Rift Valley fever (RVF) epidemics in South Africa occur at irregular intervals, usually spanning several decades, with human cases rarely reported in the absence of widespread outbreaks in livestock. This report describes four cases of RVF in farm workers associated with an isolated outbreak on a sheep farm in the Free State Province of South Africa, in 2018. In contrast to the last major RVF epidemic in South Africa in 2010-2011, where detection of human cases served as an alert for an ongoing outbreak in livestock, the current isolated outbreak was first detected in livestock, and human cases recognized following subsequent epidemiological investigation. This highlights the importance of early recognition of livestock cases in reducing risk and impact of a subsequent RVF epidemic in humans. People working with animals should be aware of transmission routes and take precautions to minimize risk of infection.

Keywords: IgM ELISA; Rift Valley fever; South Africa.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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