A study of rift valley fever virus in Morogoro and Arusha regions of Tanzania - serology and farmers’ perceptions
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Date
2015-11-18
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Group
Abstract
Introduction: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonosis primarily affecting ruminants, resulting in epidemic
abortions, fever, nasal and ocular discharges, haemorrhagic diarrhoea, and a high mortality rate among young
animals. Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is an arthropod-borne RNA virus occurring in epizootic periods
associated with heavy rainfall. The last outbreak of RVF in Tanzania was in 2006 2007, resulting in severe
economic losses and impaired food security due to greater number of deaths of livestock. The aim of this study
was to investigate the presence of antibodies against RVFV in sheep and goats in two different regions of
Tanzania during an inter-epidemic period (IEP). In addition, the perception of important diseases among
livestock keepers was assessed.
Material and methods: A cross-sectional serological survey was conducted in three purposively selected
districts in Arusha and Morogoro regions of Tanzania. Serum samples from 354 sheep and goats were
analysed in a commercial RVFV competitive ELISA. At the sampling missions, a questionnaire was used to
estimate the socio-economic impact of infectious diseases.
Results and discussion: In total, 8.2% of the analysed samples were seropositive to RVF, and most seropositive
animals were younger than 7 years, indicating a continuous circulation of RVFV in the two regions. None of
the livestock keepers mentioned RVF as an important livestock disease.
Conclusions: This study confirms that RVFV is circulating at low levels in small ruminants during IEPs. In
spite of recurring RVF outbreaks in Tanzania, livestock keepers seem to have a low awareness of the disease,
making them poorly prepared and thus more vulnerable to future RVF outbreaks.
Description
Journal article
Keywords
Rift Valley fever, Small ruminants, Epidemiology, Vector-borne disease, Arbovirus, Awareness
Citation
Jonas J. Wensman, Johanna Lindahl, Nica Wachtmeister, Emeli Torsson,Paul Gwakisa (Professor), Christopher Kasanga & Gerald Misinzo (Professor) (2015) A studyof Rift Valley fever virus in Morogoro and Arusha regions of Tanzania – serology and farmers’perceptions, Infection Ecology & Epidemiology, 5:1, 30025, DOI: 10.3402/iee.v5.30025