Rift Valley fever vaccines: current and future needs

• Published in: Current opinion in virology 2018-04, Vol.29, p.8-15
• Main Authors: Dungu, Baptiste, Lubisi, Baratang A, Ikegami, Tetsuro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Africa - epidemiology; Animals; Disease Outbreaks; Rift Valley Fever - immunology; Rift Valley Fever - prevention & control; Rift Valley fever virus - immunology; Vaccination; Viral Vaccines - immunology
• ISSN: 1879-6257; 1879-6265
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2018.02.001

•Regular RVF vaccination in animals is not conducted in most endemic countries.•Live-attenuated RVF vaccines are available in several endemic countries.•Insufficient herd immunity was observed in animals even after RVF vaccinations.•Implementation of vaccination strategy during interepidemic periods is encouraged.•Future RVF vaccines should be safe and thermostable ideally with DIVA capability. Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic mosquito-borne bunyaviral disease associated with high abortion rates, neonatal deaths, and fetal malformations in ruminants, and mild to severe disease in humans. Outbreaks of RVF cause huge economic losses and public health impacts in endemic countries in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. A proper vaccination strategy is important for preventing or minimizing outbreaks. Vaccination against RVF is not practiced in many countries, however, due to absence or irregular occurrences of outbreaks, despite serological evidence of RVF viral activity. Nonetheless, effective vaccination strategies, and functional national and international multi-disciplinary networks, remain crucial for ensuring availability of vaccines and supporting execution of vaccination in high risk areas for efficient response to RVF alerts and outbreaks.