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Viral Infections and Vectors / Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research / Mosquito Borne Diseases and Control · Journal article
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases · August 17, 2026
A consensus or society position rather than new primary data.
This narrative review synthesizes current knowledge of Rift Valley fever virus as a zoonotic pathogen affecting human and animal populations across Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and island territories. It identifies vaccine candidates in phase two clinical trials and highlights critical knowledge gaps including total disease burden, endemic versus epidemic distribution patterns, optimal vaccine deployment, and effects on pregnancy in hyperendemic regions.
Journal article. Humans and livestock populations in Africa (East, West, southern, northern regions), Arabian Peninsula, Mayotte, and Comoros; emphasis on hyperendemic regions..
2%–3% of infected humans develop severe disease manifestations including encephalitis/meningitis, hemorrhagic fever, and retinitis with visual deficits commonly reported among survivors Multiple next-generation vaccine candidates have advanced to phase two clinical trials RVFV causes both large-scale epidemics and fluctuating low-level endemic burden affecting livestock with pregnancy loss and production losses
Review does not specify which vaccine candidates are in phase two trials or report their efficacy or safety data.
Clinicians and public health professionals should recognize RVFV as a priority WHO pathogen requiring coordinated One Health strategies. Current vaccine candidates in phase two trials may become available in the coming decades, but optimal deployment strategies remain unclear pending resolution of identified knowledge gaps.
A narrative review summarizing current knowledge of RVFV epidemiology, infection control, and vaccine development, identifying research gaps and calling for coordinated One Health approaches rather than reporting original empirical data.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Clinicians and public health professionals should recognize RVFV as a priority WHO pathogen requiring coordinated One Health strategies. Current vaccine candidates in phase two trials may become available in the coming decades, but optimal deployment strategies remain unclear pending resolution of identified knowledge gaps.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic arbovirus transmitted by a wide range of mosquito vectors present across the African continent. RVFV has resulted in large-scale epidemics in East, West, southern, and northern Africa with additional epidemics affecting the Arabian Peninsula, Mayotte, and Comoros. In some areas, rather than large-scale isolated outbreaks, RVFV causes a fluctuating low-level endemic burden affecting livestock populations by resulting in pregnancy loss and significant production losses. RVFV risk extends into the human population when it is transmitted either by vector-borne transmission or direct contact with infected animals or animal products such as blood, meat, or milk. Following infection, 2%–3% of humans can develop severe disease manifestations including encephalitis/meningitis, hemorrhagic fever, and retinitis, with visual deficits commonly reported among survivors. While RVF cases in animals and humans have been spatially linked, the proportion and risk associated with spillover events is poorly classified. Given RVFV’s dual threat to human and livestock health, it has been designated a priority pathogen by WHO for development of countermeasures. This review aims to summarize current knowledge of RVFV epidemiology, infection, and control as well as highlight key recent advances in the understanding of epidemiology and vaccine development. Multiple next-generation vaccine candidates have advanced to phase two clinical trials which offer hope for approved and commercially available human vaccines in the coming decades. However, despite these promising advancements, key gaps in knowledge remain, particularly regarding the total burden and geographic distributions of endemic and epidemic infections, shifting epidemiologic patterns, optimal vaccine use cases, and the effects of RVFV infection on pregnancy in humans living in hyperendemic regions. Many gaps in understanding persist, and RVFV remains a quintessential One Health pathogen requiring coordinated human, animal, and environmental investigation and collaboration to translate scientific advances into effective national public health strategies.
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