What is RVF in pregnancy?

Rift Valley fever (RVF) causes recurrent outbreaks of febrile illness associated with high levels of mortality and poor outcomes during pregnancy—including foetal malformations, spontaneous abortion and stillbirths—in livestock, and associated with miscarriage in humans.

How is Rift Valley fever transmitted?

People usually get Rift Valley fever through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, mainly livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, and camels.

What is Rift Valley Fever?

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a disease of domestic ruminants, caused by an arbovirus belonging to the Phlebovirus genus (Bunyaviridae family). The RVF virus was first identified in 1931 during an investigation into an epidemic among sheep on a farm in the Rift Valley in Kenya.

How is Rift Valley Fever treated?

There are no FDA-approved treatments for Rift Valley Fever. Because most cases of RVF are mild and self-limiting, a specific treatment for RVF has not been established. Symptoms of mild illness such as fever and body aches can be managed with standard over-the-counter medications.

Can Valley fever spread from person to person?

People can get Valley fever by breathing in the microscopic fungus from the air in these areas. Valley fever does not spread from person to person.

Is there a vaccine for Rift Valley fever?

Rift Valley Fever Vaccines An inactivated vaccine has been developed for human use, but it is not licensed and or commercially available. It has been used experimentally to protect veterinary and laboratory personnel at high risk of exposure to RVF.

How can a farmer prevent Rift Valley fever from occurring?

A modified live vaccine (the Smithburn vaccine) is one of the oldest and most widely used vaccines for controlling RVF in Africa. This vaccine only requires a single dose, but is known to cause birth defects and abortions in pregnant livestock and may only provide cattle with limited protection from infection with RVF.

Is there a vaccine for Rift Valley Fever?

What part of the body does Valley fever affect?

Approximately 5 to 10% of people who get Valley fever will develop serious or long-term problems in their lungs. In an even smaller percent of people (about 1%), the infection spreads from the lungs to other parts of the body, such as the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), skin, or bones and joints.

Who is the most common victim of Valley fever?

Valley fever can affect people of any age, but it’s most common in adults aged 60 and older….People who have weakened immune systems, for example, people who:

  • Have HIV/AIDS.
  • Have had an organ transplant.
  • Are taking medications such as corticosteroids or TNF-inhibitors.

Can you vaccinate pregnant ewes for Rift Valley Fever?

Only dead/inactivated (‘Rift Valley Fever Inactivated’ from OBP) vaccine must be used on pregnant animals.

Does chikungunya have a vaccine?

There is currently no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat chikungunya virus infection. Travelers can protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.