Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Rift Valley Fever in South Africa
Updated: March 31, 2010
- Travel Health Notice
- About Rift Valley Fever
- Recommendations for Travellers
- Don't Forget...
- Other Related Information
The South African Department of Health has reported 63 confirmed human cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) including two deaths. The majority of cases are from the province of Free State (near Lesotho) but cases have also been reported in Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces.
Rift Valley Fever is mostly seen in animals. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has reported an outbreak in animals affecting 78 farms in multiple provinces in South Africa. Most human cases have been in direct contact with infected livestock.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is monitoring this outbreak of RVF in South Africa. Updates are available from the website of the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases.
About Rift Valley Fever
Symptoms
- Can take 3 to 12 days to appear.
- Usually include flu-like symptoms such as fever, muscle and joint pain, nausea, and vomiting. Some people also develop neck stiffness and sensitivity to light.
- Most infected people do not show any symptoms.
- Although rare, in more severe cases, RVF can progress to one of three severe forms: Ocular, which may lead to permanent sight loss; meningoencephalitis, which may lead to neurological complications; or haemorrhagic fever, which may lead to death.
- Most humans get RVF through contact with infected animals or animal blood.
- This can happen during slaughtering or butchering animals, helping with animal births or deaths (burials), veterinary jobs involving close contact with animals or blood, or general farming.
- Mosquitoes transmit the virus between animals and from animals to humans. Some types of blood-sucking flies may also transmit the virus.
- Although rare, humans can get RVF by drinking unpasteurized milk and eating unpasteurized milk products from sick animals.
Recommendations for travellers
If you are travelling to an area where RVF occurs:
- Avoid exposure to animals or animal blood
- Practice strict personal protective measures if working with animals in an abattoir, as a butcher, a vet, or farmer
- Avoid handling raw meat
- Protect yourself from mosquito and other insect bites
- Cover up: Wear light-coloured, long-sleeved, tucked-in shirts, long pants, shoes (not sandals), and a hat
- Use insect repellent on exposed skin:
- Of the insect repellents registered in Canada, those containing DEET are the most effective
- Use as directed by the manufacturer
- Do not apply to cuts, abrasions or irritated skin
- Do not spray directly on the face
- Wash hands after application, to avoid contact with lips and eyes
- When using sunscreen: do not use insect repellent and sunscreen combination products
- If application of sunscreen and repellent with DEET is required, apply the sunscreen first and let it soak into the skin for about 20 minutes, then apply repellent with DEET
- After returning indoors, wash off repellent.
- Sleep under a bed net, preferably treated with insecticide:
- Ensure the net is intact (no tears or large holes)
- Tuck it under the mattress
- Ensure it is not touching you (or you still may be bitten through the net)
- Consider your accommodations: Stay in a well-screened or completely enclosed air-conditioned room
- Apply a permethrin insecticide to tents and clothing and other travel gear for greater protection
- Permethrin-treated clothing is effective for up to 2 weeks or 6 washings
- Although permethrin is not available in Canada, travel health clinics can advise you how to purchase permethrin and pre-treated gear before or during your trip
- This could be considered for playpens, crib, or strollers to protect young children
- Avoid raw (unpasteurized) milk and milk products
- Practice Standard Precautions of infection control in health care settings and laboratories
More information on Standard Precautions of infection control...
Don't Forget ?
- Consult a health care provider or visit a travel health clinic at least six weeks before you travel.
- What to do if you get sick when you are travelling
- What to do if you get sick after you return to Canada
- Know what vaccines you need and when to get them
- South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) ? Rift Valley Fever Outbreak
- World Health Organization (WHO) ? Fact Sheet: Rift Valley Fever
- WHO - (Global Alert and Response Outbreak) - Rift Valley Fever Outbreaks
- WHO ? Aide-Memoire: Standard Precautions in Health Care
- World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) ? Rift Valley Fever
- OIE ? Event Summary: Rift Valley Fever South Africa