. 2025 Apr 30:54:126860.

doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126860. Epub 2025 Mar 18.

Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024

Radhika Gharpure¹, Carolin Vegvari², Alemseged Abdissa³, Yewande Alimi⁴, Assaf Anyamba⁵, Jochen Auerbach², Bernard Bett⁶, Brian H Bird⁷, Ndeye Sakha Bob⁸, J Gabrielle Breugelmans², Jessica Clark⁹, Sarah Cleaveland⁹, Jakob Cramer², Jeanette Dawa¹⁰, Petra C Fay¹¹, Pierre Formenty¹², Volker Gerdts¹³, Keli N Gerken¹⁴, John Gitonga¹⁵, Martin Groschup¹⁶, James Heighway², Sherry Ama Mawuko Johnson¹⁷, John Juma⁶, Rebekah C Kading¹⁸, Maureen Kamau¹⁹, Samuel Kerama²⁰, Baratang Alison Lubisi²¹, Julius Lutwama²², Dick Luyimbazi²³, Dadi Marami²⁴, Sean M Moore²⁵, Mathew Muturi²⁶, Grace Mwangoka²⁷, Angela Ndiu²⁸, M Kariuki Njenga²⁸, Richard Njouom²⁹, Luke Nyakarahuka³⁰, Serge Nzietchueng³¹, Paul Oloo², Mark Otiende¹⁵, Samuel Oyola⁶, Lodovico Samuele Paganini³², Pranav S Pandit⁷, Carine Punt²³, Abdallah M Samy³³, Silvia Situma²⁸, Heidi Sneddon², Quirine A Ten Bosch³⁴, Seda Tezcan-Ulger³⁵, Peter N Thompson³⁶, Mike Tildesley³⁷, Bachirou Tinto³⁸, Juan F Vesga³⁹, Paul P Wichgers Schreur⁴⁰, Peter Hart⁴¹

Affiliations

¹ Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway, London, UK, and Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: radhika.gharpure@cepi.net.
² Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway, London, UK, and Washington, DC, USA.
³ Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
⁴ Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁵ University of Maryland Baltimore County and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
⁶ International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya.
⁷ School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
⁸ Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal.
⁹ School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, Univeristy of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
¹⁰ Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
¹¹ The Wellcome Trust, London, UK.
¹² World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹³ Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskachewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
¹⁴ University of Liverpool, Institute of Infection, Veterinary, and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK.
¹⁵ KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
¹⁶ Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Germany.
¹⁷ School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
¹⁸ Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
¹⁹ Mpala Research Centre, Laikipia, Kenya.
²⁰ Pharmacy and Poisons Board, Nairobi, Kenya.
²¹ ARC: Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
²² Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda.
²³ Bunyavax, LARISSA II project, Lelystad, Netherlands.
²⁴ Haramaya University, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Harar, Ethiopia.
²⁵ Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
²⁶ Kenya Zoonotic Disease Unit, Nairobi, Kenya.
²⁷ Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.
²⁸ Washington State University Global Health Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
²⁹ Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³⁰ Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
³¹ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya.
³² Swissmedic, Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, Bern, Switzerland.
³³ Medical Ain Shams Research Institute (MASRI), Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
³⁴ Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.
³⁵ Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Mersin, Türkiye.
³⁶ University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
³⁷ Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
³⁸ Institit de recherche en sciences de la santé (IRSS), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
³⁹ UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.
⁴⁰ Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands.
⁴¹ Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway, London, UK, and Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: peter.hart@cepi.net.

PMID: 40101455
PMCID: PMC12132047
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126860

Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024

Radhika Gharpure et al. Vaccine. 2025.

. 2025 Apr 30:54:126860.

doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126860. Epub 2025 Mar 18.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway, London, UK, and Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: radhika.gharpure@cepi.net.
² Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway, London, UK, and Washington, DC, USA.
³ Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
⁴ Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁵ University of Maryland Baltimore County and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
⁶ International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya.
⁷ School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA.
⁸ Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal.
⁹ School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, Univeristy of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
¹⁰ Center for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
¹¹ The Wellcome Trust, London, UK.
¹² World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
¹³ Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskachewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
¹⁴ University of Liverpool, Institute of Infection, Veterinary, and Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, UK.
¹⁵ KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
¹⁶ Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald, Germany.
¹⁷ School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
¹⁸ Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
¹⁹ Mpala Research Centre, Laikipia, Kenya.
²⁰ Pharmacy and Poisons Board, Nairobi, Kenya.
²¹ ARC: Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
²² Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda.
²³ Bunyavax, LARISSA II project, Lelystad, Netherlands.
²⁴ Haramaya University, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Harar, Ethiopia.
²⁵ Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
²⁶ Kenya Zoonotic Disease Unit, Nairobi, Kenya.
²⁷ Ifakara Health Institute, Ifakara, Tanzania.
²⁸ Washington State University Global Health Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.
²⁹ Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, Yaounde, Cameroon.
³⁰ Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
³¹ Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Nairobi, Kenya.
³² Swissmedic, Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, Bern, Switzerland.
³³ Medical Ain Shams Research Institute (MASRI), Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
³⁴ Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.
³⁵ Mersin University Faculty of Medicine, Mersin, Türkiye.
³⁶ University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
³⁷ Zeeman Institute for Systems Biology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology Research, School of Life Sciences and Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK.
³⁸ Institit de recherche en sciences de la santé (IRSS), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
³⁹ UK Health Security Agency, London, UK.
⁴⁰ Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands.
⁴¹ Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Oslo, Norway, London, UK, and Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: peter.hart@cepi.net.

PMID: 40101455
PMCID: PMC12132047
DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126860

Abstract

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease that causes epidemics and epizootics among humans and livestock, resulting in substantial health and socioeconomic consequences. Currently, there are no RVF vaccines licensed for humans, but several candidates show promise in early-stage development. Existing gaps in RVF epidemiological data and challenges associated with predicting RVF outbreak risk complicate the planning of efficacy studies, making the pathway to licensure for promising candidates unclear. In June 2024, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) convened a two-day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss RVF epidemiology, modeling priorities, and specific gaps relevant to human RVF vaccine development. The workshop included representatives from multiple RVF-endemic countries, key global collaborators, and international health organizations. Workshop participants identified five key priorities: (1) Looking beyond outbreaks: There is a need to better characterize the complex One Health epidemiology of RVF and understand interepidemic persistence of the virus; (2) Better data for better models: Epidemiological modeling is crucial for research, prediction, and planning, but it requires accurate and representative data; (3) New, improved and accessible diagnostics and serological assays: These are needed to inform epidemiology and case definitions, without which RVF research will continue to suffer due to paucity of data and challenges in determining infection and exposure; (4) Defining use cases, regulatory pathways, and implementation strategies for human vaccines: Clarity on these topics will facilitate licensure and effective use of RVF vaccines; and (5) People-centered approaches: Community engagement and involvement of social and behavioral scientists are key to the success of human vaccine research and development and implementation, particularly as the virus impacts livestock and livelihoods. Workshop participants welcomed a renewed focus for RVF epidemiology and modeling, and expressed enthusiasm for continued multidisciplinary collaborations to support enabling sciences for human RVF vaccine research and development.

Keywords: Research and development; Rift Valley fever; Vaccine development.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: R. Gharpure, C. Vegvari, J. Auerbach, J.G. Breugelmans, J. Cramer, J. Heighway, P. Oloo, and H. Sneddon and P. Hart are employees of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which currently funds four human RVF candidates. PJ. Wichgers Schreur, C. Punt and D. Luyimbazi are part of a consortium, funded by CEPI, that develops an RVF candidate vaccine, named hRVFV-4 s, for human use. B.H Bird is part of a consortium, funded by CEPI, that develops an RVF candidate vaccine, named DDVax®, for human use. No authors stand to materially or otherwise benefit from this work. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

**Box 1**
Key priorities identified from the workshop on Rift Valley fever (RVF) epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

1. World Health Organization. Rift Valley Fever Fact Sheet. 2018.
1. Gerken K.N., LaBeaud A.D., Mandi H., L’Azou Jackson M., Breugelmans J.G., King C.H. Paving the way for human vaccination against Rift Valley fever virus: a systematic literature review of RVFV epidemiology from 1999 to 2021. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2022;16 - PMC - PubMed
1. Nanyingi M.O., Munyua P., Kiama S.G., Muchemi G.M., Thumbi S.M., Bitek A.O., et al. A systematic review of Rift Valley fever epidemiology 1931-2014. Infect Ecol Epidemiol. 2015;5 - PMC - PubMed
1. Bron G.M., Strimbu K., Cecilia H., Lerch A., Moore S.M., Tran Q., et al. Over 100 years of Rift Valley fever: a patchwork of data on pathogen spread and spillover. Pathogens. 2021:10. - PMC - PubMed
1. World organisation for animal health. Rift Valley fever; 2024.

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Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024

Affiliations

Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

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Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources