The Northern Cape provincial government has embarked upon an all out effort to foil the current outbreak of Rift Valley fever which has been confirmed to have affected one farm in Colesburg with four cattle dead out of fourteen that took ill.
Suspect cases have also emerged around farms at Richmond, Carnavon (one farm with 30 lambs reported dead), Prieska and Douglas with farmers reporting livestock mortalities that are currently being followed-up by government. Samples were collected and we are awaiting the results thereof. There are no confirmed human cases in the Northern Cape as the suspected case from Colesburg tested negative.
A communicable disease team consisting of officials from the Departments of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development and Health have been hard at work in dealing with reported cases and tracking developments since the reporting of the first case.
- Operational centre in Kimberley has been dealing with all farming community enquiries and has also been tracking developments regarding the outbreak. All state veterinarians across the province have been following "up on reported cases within their respective areas and keeping full contact with the operational centre.
- Stakeholder consultation: Veterinary services to update the Red Meat
Producers Organisation in the Northern Cape and National African Farmers Union (NAFU) representing emerging farmers to be held today. Broader industry and farmer representatives and farmers will continuously be updated as has been the case. - Public awareness campaign: Prediction with an appeal to farmers to vaccinate their livestock unfolded in 2008. Several engagements in this respect were undertaken especially after the October 2009 outbreak in Kakamas.
* Bulk SMSs: With the assistance of industry, about three different SMSs were send to livestock farmers with the last one send last week appealing on them to report suspected mortalities. The response was overwhelming and we are following-up.
Additional measures include:
- Mosquito control: dipping of animals to repel mosquitoes can be one good measure.
- Bio-security: When vaccinating animals, only one needle must be used per animal to avoid transmitting the disease from one animal to the other.
Farmers in the affected areas are being urged to immediately vaccinate their animals and avoid opening carcasses they suspect died from Rift Valley fever. Contact must be made with a state or private veterinarian for general advice.
Notes
Veterinary services responded to a very atypical outbreak of Rift Valley fever (Slenkdalkoors) in the Kakamas area in October 2009. Two people were confirmed positive as a result of this outbreak and about 5 000 doses of vaccine was used to contain the disease. By December 2009, no deaths or abortions were reported by farmers in the affected area. Before the 2009 confirmed case, the last reported outbreak in the Northern Cape was in the summer of 1976.
Following on heavy rainfall throughout the country in January and February 2010, the Free State reported high mortalities in lambs and abortions in sheep in the Bultfontein district as well as parts of Boshoff and Jacobsdal due to Rift Valley fever. So far (10 March 2010), 19 people in the Free State tested positive for the disease and one person has died of the disease. This is a repeat of the 1950/51 and 1974 to 1976 outbreaks and the same pattern of disease can be seen in this case.
The Eastern Cape is also reporting the disease in the Hofmeyer area. The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is working very closely with the two mentioned provinces and regular meetings have been held.
The department has in the recent past sent SMS messages as well as warnings in the print media, urging farmers to vaccinate their livestock.
Please, we appeal again, please vaccinate!!!!! It is the only way of limiting the impact of an outbreak.
What is Rift Valley fever?
Rift valley fever is a fever causing disease that affects livestock (including cattle, buffalo, sheep, and goats) and humans in Africa. It is named after a trough stretching 4 000 miles from Jordan through eastern Africa to Mozambique. Rift Valley fever is spread mainly by infected mosquitoes and appears most often during years of heavy rainfall.
Where is Rift Valley fever found?
Rift Valley fever is most common in the livestock raising regions of eastern and southern Africa. The disease is also found in most countries of sub-Saharan Africa and in Madagascar.
What is the infectious agent that causes Rift Valley fever?
The disease is caused by the Rift Valley fever virus.
Why is the outbreak of Rift Valley fever occurring now?
The virus usually lies dormant in the eggs of Aedes mosquitoes. During heavy rains and floods, the eggs hatch large numbers of infected mosquitoes that transmits the virus to livestock triggering an outbreak.
How do people and livestock get Rift Valley fever?
- Humans
- People can get Rift Valley fever if they are exposed to the blood or other body fluids of infected animals. This can happen during the slaughtering or handling of infected animal carcasses and aborted foetuses.
- People get also get Rift Valley fever from the bite of an infected mosquito in rare cases.
- Livestock
- Animals can get Rift Valley fever from the bite of mosquitoes and possibly other blood sucking insects. Other species of mosquitoes, and possibly other biting insects, can also become mechanical vectors (simply transports the virus from infected to a susceptible animals) which will spread the disease.
What are the signs and symptoms of Rift Valley fever?
- Human
People with Rift Valley virus infections typically have a flu-like illness with fever, weakness, back pain, dizziness, and weight loss.
Infected people usually get better in two days to one week after the start of the illness. Sometimes, however, the infection can cause haemorrhage (severe bleeding), encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), or severe eye complications.
- Livestock
High abortions rate and high neonatal death. Jaundice hepatitis and death are seen in older animals.
How is Rift Valley fever diagnosed?
Diagnosis can be made by use of several types of laboratory tests for both human and livestock.
What complications can result from Rift Valley fever?
- Humans
Hemorrhagic fever (fever and bleeding disorders) which can progress to high fever, shock and death in extreme cases, The most common complication is inflammation of the retina (a structure connecting the nerves of the eye to the brain). About one percent to 10 percent of affected persons might have some resulting vision problems or partial blindness. Approximately one percent of infected people die of the disease
- Livestock
Death and abortion rates are much higher for infected animals
Who is at risk for Rift Valley fever?
- People who sleep outdoors at night in areas where outbreaks occur
- Animal herdsmen, slaughterhouse workers, veterinarians, and others who handle tissues of infected animals in areas where the virus is present
- International travellers who visit areas where the virus is present during periods when outbreaks or epidemics are occurring
- Unvaccinated livestock
What is the treatment for Rift Valley fever?
Currently there no treatment for both human and livestock but Riboviran drug is being studied for its effectiveness against Rift Valley fever for humans.
How can Rift Valley fever be prevented?
- Humans
To prevent Rift Valley fever, local people and travellers to Africa (2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup) should take precautions against insect bites: use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, use bed nets and used fan or an air conditioned rooms. They should also avoid contact with livestock in areas where outbreaks of Rift Valley fever are occurring.
Persons who work with animals in areas where the virus is present should avoid exposure to the blood or tissues of potentially infected animals in case of taking sample they should call the veterinary authority or private veterinarian or use gloves to transport the whole carcass to your local veterinarian.
How can Rift Valley fever be prevented?
- Livestock
The vaccine currently available is the Onderstepoort biological product live attenuated “Smithburn” strain and the inactivated Rift Valley Fever vaccine. The former provides longer and better immunity while the latter needs two vaccinations with an interval of three weeks. It is important to remember the use of a live Rift Valley fever vaccine in pregnant animals might result in abortions and should not be an option during outbreak situations.
Inactivated vaccine might be the only solution if farmers are experiencing an outbreak and need to protect pregnant animals; however farmers should not vaccinate during outbreak of any disease as this may perpetuate the disease. Weekly dipping of livestock using insect repellents will reduce the occurrence of vector borne disease but its labour intensive.
- Environmental vector control
This can be a very costly exercise and it’s not feasibly because all the places that had a high rainfall should be spray which means almost the whole country and this will not be enough to kill all the mosquitoes in all the open water sources of affected farms. Furthermore this can be an environmental hazard.
Where can I get vaccine for livestock?
Onderstepoort biological product (OBP) contact:
Sesie Mabaso
Tel: 012 522 1512 (Monday to Friday during office hours)
How safe is to consume livestock products during the outbreak of Rift Valley fever (beef, mutton, milk and offal)?
Generally all the livestock products from registered facilities (butcheries, food shops etc) receives livestock products that are certified to be safe and sound for human consumptions by the department of Agriculture Veterinary Services and Department of Health and therefore do not pose any risk to the end user. There aforementioned departments ensures that only healthy animals are slaughtered or milked. It’s very important to emphasize that any animal that dies of any illnesses (cold slaughter) is never safe for human consumption.
Should humans and livestock quarantined?
- Humans
Rift Valley fever cannot spread from person to person except for accidental injections with contaminated needles from infected patient for health professional or for Laboratory personnel handle the infected specimen incorrectly.
- Livestock
Mosquitoes are distributed everywhere in the environment where there is water and they can move between farms, further more wind can carry them for a number of kilometres which makes it meaningless to quarantine livestock farms.
How should I dispose dead animal and aborted foetus?
Without proper disposal, carcasses can threaten the health of wild and domestic animals, as well as the public.
- Burial
Carcasses should be buried at least 1.2 meters below the natural surface of the ground. Livestock owners should take care to avoid burying remains near waterways, ponds and places with a high water table.
- Incineration
“Thorough and complete incineration” of the carcass, including all bones, is another option for animal owners using old tires, wood and diesel etc. caution should taken to avoid veld fires.
- Composting
A relatively new alternative for livestock owners, on-farm composting offers a convenient, albeit management-intensive option for producers.
By following a proven “recipe”, an established on-farm composter can produce nutrient-rich organic matter suitable for field application in two months to three months. Dry organic material, like sawdust, is layered with animal remains to generate heat to speed decomposition.
Is Rift Valley fever an emerging infectious disease?
The Rift Valley virus was first isolated in 1931 in livestock on a farm in Kenya. The most notable epizootic occurred in Kenya in 1950 to 1951 and resulted in the death of an estimated 100 000 sheep. In 1978, the virus was detected in Egypt and caused a large outbreak of illness in animals and humans.
In South Africa Rift Valley fever was not known in South Africa before 1951 when several outbreaks of a strange and unknown disease were reported in the Western Free State then occurred again in the 1974/75 outbreak that resulted in over 100 000 deaths and 500 000 abortions in livestock countrywide.
The first epidemic of Rift Valley fever in West Africa was reported in 1987. It was linked to construction of the Senegal River project, which caused flooding in the lower Senegal River area.
In late 1997, after exceptionally heavy rains, an epidemic resulted in the deaths of at least 300 people and large numbers of animals in remote parts of north-eastern Kenya, southern Kenya, and southern Somalia.
Contacts:
Thabo Mothibi
Cell: 083 255 8840
Tel: 053 838 9105
Andrid Scholtz
Cell: 083 460 7570
