Somalia: Saudi Livestock Move Boosts Somaliland Economy Nov 11, 2009
Imposed in late 2000, the ban followed an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in the Horn of Africa region. RVF is an acute viral infectious disease of humans, cattle and sheep, which usually occurs during the rainy season. (allAfrica.com)
East Africa: E-Health Network to Comat Epidemics Nov 9, 2009
Following the Bujumbura Ministerial discussion in September to discuss the establishment of the network, the use of ICT in the health sector has been intensified to disseminate information on the outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera, Rift Valley Fever and H1N1. Donald Charwe, acting Commissioner for Social Welfare in Tanzania's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, said the country was now talking with other partner states of the Community about integrating of their respective... (allAfrica.com)
Saudi lifts Somali livestock ban Nov 6, 2009
Saudi Arabia has lifted a ban on the import of livestock from Somalia imposed nine years ago to prevent the spread of Rift Valley fever. Somali pastoralists and traders have welcomed the news. (BBC News -- Africa)
Bug-borne disease lab heading to Kansas Oct 31, 2009
Agency officials began searching for a new home two years ago when the facility no longer met minimum requirements for containing some of the diseases researchers work with, including Rift Valley fever and bluetongue virus. In some cases, researchers have had to travel more than 70 miles to more secure facilities in Fort Collins, Colo. (Park Hills Daily Journal, MO)
Africa: A Rough Guide to Climate Change in Continent Sep 10, 2009
Rift Valley fever epidemics - evident during the 1997-1998 El Nino event in East Africa and associated with flooding - could become more frequent and widespread as El Nino events increase. Southern Africa. (allAfrica.com)
Kenya: Heed the Weatherman's Warning On El Nino Rains [editorial] Aug 29, 2009
It did not help that the rains left in its wake severe attacks of rare water-borne and infectious diseases such as cholera, malaria and rift valley fever that nearly wiped out livestock in some parts of the country and heralded a massive medical relief operation to save millions from the jaws of death. Relevant Links. (allAfrica.com)
East Africa: Climate Change Could Increase Health Costs Jul 29, 2009
The expected increased rainfall and high temperatures are likely to fuel the spread of malaria and Rift Valley fever, diseases that took up a huge chunk of the health budget during 1997 El Nino period ... By December 1997, Rift Valley Fever had killed 478 people in Kenya and southern Somalia. (allAfrica.com)
AFRICA: The art of predicting Rift Valley Fever outbreaks Jul 22, 2009
CAPE TOWN, 21 July 2009 () - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Agency (NASA) is devising remote sensing methods to monitor the environmental conditions that cause Rift Valley Fever ... Researchers use a variety of remote sensing measurements, including sea surface temperatures, rainfall and vegetation, to predict when parts of Africa and the Middle East might become vulnerable to Rift Valley Fever, which is triggered by persistent, above-normal levels of rainfall in drought-prone... (AlertNet)
Satellites and global health: Remote diagnosis May 23, 2009
It was, at the time, the biggest recorded outbreak of Rift Valley fever in east Africa ... Satellite research indicates a significant risk that dengue fever, malaria and Rift Valley fever will enter Europe, according to Renaud Lancelot, the head of the EDEN project, a group of laboratories and public-health agencies in 24 European and African countries. (The Economist)
Africa: Continent's Disease Burden Could Conceal Swine Flu Cases May 1, 2009
Rapid response teams are accustomed to reacting to diseases such as meningitis and Rift Valley fever, as well as completely unknown new infections. South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), for example, was widely praised for its prompt quarantining of feverish suspects and quick analysis of a previously unknown acute infection - thought to be a type of viral haemorrhagic fever - which killed four people in October last year. (allAfrica.com)
Fast Facts: Somalia Apr 9, 2009
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, and Rift Valley fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2009). Nationality: noun: Somali(s) adjective: Somali. (CBS News -- Early Show)
NASA Study Predicted Outbreak Of Deadly Virus Feb 20, 2009
19, 2009) An early warning system, more than a decade in development, successfully predicted the 2006-2007 outbreak of the deadly Rift Valley fever in northeast Africa, according to a new study led by NASA scientists ... Rift Valley fever is unique in that its emergence is closely linked to interannual climate variability ... The final product, a Rift Valley fever "risk map," gave public health officials in East Africa up to six weeks of warning for the 2006-2007 outbreak, enough time to lessen... (Science Daily)
Secrets Of Potential Bioterror Virus Uncovered Feb 18, 2009
17, 2009) Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered a key tactic that the Rift Valley fever virus uses to disarm the defenses of infected cells ... Rift Valley fever also afflicts cattle, goats and sheep, resulting in a nearly 100 percent abortion rate in these animals ... The protein was already known to be a major factor in making Rift Valley fever more virulent; earlier research had shown that it penetrated cell nuclei and disrupted the coding of RNA... (Science Daily)
Role Of Climate Change In Disease Spread Examined Feb 10, 2009
In the article, Higgs and Gould examine the relative importance of climate change in the spread of four viruses that have captured headlines in the past 10 years: West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, Rift Valley fever virus and Bluetongue virus ... Since the viruses in question are carried either by mosquitoes (West Nile, Chikungunya, Rift Valley fever) or midges (Bluetongue), creatures whose activity and population increase in warm, moist environments, one would suspect that a transition to a... (Science Daily)
