Rif Valley fever surveillance

Abstract

This manual provides risk-based guidance for designing, planning and implementing effective participatory and syndromic surveillance of Rift Valley fever (RVF). It shows how to tailor this guidance to the epidemiological needs of individual countries, starting with setting appropriate objectives. RVF virus, a mosquito-borne zoonotic agent, causes haemorrhagic fever in humans, and abortion and neonatal death in livestock. Outbreaks have caused national meat markets to collapse and have provoked regional trade embargoes. The geography of infection and clinical disease is expanding, also because of climate change. This publication argues that effective surveillance is essential to mitigate the impact of RVF. For this reason, RVF surveillance objectives need to be in line with the country's risk category and economic goals. The manual suggests questions to help build a timely and sensitive surveillance system suited to national objectives and resources