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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Mosquito and Fly Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #392823
Research Project: Integrated Pest Management of Mosquitoes and Biting Flies

Location: Mosquito and Fly Research

Title: Rift Valley fever virus in humans: A threat to global public health and agriculture

Author
item Gibson, Seth
item Linthicum, Kenneth - Ken
item ANYAMBA, ASSAF - Goddard Space Flight Center
item TURELL, MICHAEL - Us Army Medical Research Institute Of Infectious Diseases

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/3/2021
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an acute disease of ungulate livestock and wildlife as well as humans caused by the Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) which can be transmitted by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes as well as by direct contact with infected tissues. Humans infected with RVFV can develop extremely high viremias capable of infecting vectors such as mosquitoes. Critically, RVFV has potential for globalization resulting from movement of infected humans into non-endemic regions containing large populations of potentially competent mosquito vectors and abundant susceptible livestock and wildlife hosts which include the US and southern Europe. It is estimated that introduction of RVFV into the US would cost ~$1billion to the agricultural industry and business. We explore scenarios of escape of RVFV from its endemic range that could be caused by movement of infected humans. We discuss approaches that could be used to mitigate these avenues of spread that include for example surveillance targeted by environmental modeling.