Rift Valley Fever: Treatment, Management & Prevention

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a zoonotic arboviral disease (Phlebovirus) affecting livestock and humans. No licensed human antiviral exists; care is supportive.

Clinical Spectrum

• Most: asymptomatic or mild febrile illness (fever, myalgia, headache, photophobia).
• Severe forms (1–2%): hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, ocular disease (retinitis).
• Case fatality: ~1% overall; up to 50% in hemorrhagic form.

Supportive Management

• Hydration, electrolyte replacement.
• Antipyretics/analgesics (avoid NSAIDs if hemorrhagic risk – use acetaminophen).
• Transfusions for hemorrhage/DIC.
• ICU care for encephalitis, respiratory failure, renal failure.
• Ocular: usually self-limited; corticosteroids sometimes used for macular edema.

Investigational / Animal-Use Antivirals

• Ribavirin: in vitro activity; limited human data; teratogenic.
• Favipiravir: promising in animal models.
• Monoclonal antibodies: in development.

Prevention & Control

• Livestock vaccination (live attenuated Smithburn, inactivated clones) – breaks amplification cycle.
• Vector control: Larviciding, insecticide-treated nets, repellents.
• Surveillance: Sentinel herds, syndromic reporting, early warning (satellite rainfall/vegetation indices).
• Human protection: Avoid raw milk, contact with sick animals, mosquito bites (especially during outbreaks).
• One Health approach: Integrated human-animal-environmental health coordination.

Outbreaks follow heavy rainfall (mosquito proliferation). Early detection in animals predicts human risk.