Re: South Sudan: Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever Disease Reported in Rss - Not true per NGO
Re: South Sudan: Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever Disease Reported in Rss - Not true per NGO
Oops...
Published Date: 2013-10-19 11:15:57
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Rift Valley fever - South Sudan: (EE, UN) NOT
Archive Number: 20131019.2010099
RIFT VALLEY FEVER - SOUTH SUDAN: (EAST EQUATORIA, UPPER NILE) NOT
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Date: 19 Oct 2013
Sources: see below
[1]
Flutrackers 18 Oct 2013
http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/showthread.php?p=512090
Re: South Sudan: Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever Disease Reported in Rss - Not True per NGO
News media correction requested regarding recent misreport of Rift Valley fever outbreak
Posted on 18 Oct 2013 by Susan MacMillan (Head, Public Awareness, ILRI)
On 16 Oct 2013, a news release titled Outbreak of rift valley fever disease reported in RSS reported that there is an outbreak of Rift Valley fever in South Sudan. This is inaccurate. There is no outbreak of Rift Valley fever in South Sudan that we know of.
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[2]
Date: 18 Oct 2013
Source: International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
http://clippings.ilri.org/2013/10/1...cent-misreport-of-rift-valley-fever-outbreak/
On 16 Oct 2013, a news release titled Outbreak of rift valley fever disease reported in RSS reported that there is an outbreak of Rift Valley fever in South Sudan. This is inaccurate. There is no outbreak of Rift Valley fever in South Sudan that we know of.
Those quoted in the news release were participants of a workshop being held in Juba 15-16 Oct 2013, entitled 'Developing a risk map and decision-support tools for managing Rift Valley fever in South Sudan'. The workshop was organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Tourism, Animal Resources, Fisheries, Cooperative and Rural Development. ILRI veterinary epidemiologist Bernard Bett, BVM, MVEE, PhD, of ILRI's Food Safety and Zoonosis Program, took part in that workshop. He reports that all conversations of the participants dealt with historical, not contemporary, information.
In the news release, Bett is misquoted and misnamed. He is a veterinary epidemiologist whose research focus is Rift Valley fever and other arboviruses. He is one of those working on developing the risk map for Rift Valley fever.
The misinformation was further circulated online in several places. ILRI has asked the relevant agencies to issue a statement correcting this misinformation.
For further information, please contact Bernard Bett: b.bett AT CGIAR.org
For more on the Rift Valley fever risk map, see this slide presentation by Bernard Bett and colleagues [available from the URL above].
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[3]
Date: 18 Oct 2013
Source: Statement from Director of Vector and Disease Control, South Sudan, Aluma Araba Ameri [edited]
Dear colleagues,
I am responding to the international alert issued in regards to an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in South Sudan as misquoted in the GOSS website by a journalist.
Quote "In the website reads JUBA, 16 October 2012 NASS - An outbreak of Rift Valley Fever Disease has been reported in South Sudan's Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile states, a government official has announced" - "Rift Valley fever is a viral disease spread primarily by mosquitoes, which can affect both humans and animals. This was revealed by Dr. Aluma Araba the Director of Vector and Disease Control in the national Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Tourism". end of quote
There is no rumor or suspected outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in the whole of South Sudan up to date. The last outbreak recorded in South Sudan was 2007 and 2008 in Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile States.
The department of Vector and Disease Control conducted a stakeholder workshop in Juba with the theme Workshop on RVF Risk Mapping and Other RVF Decision Support Tools for South Sudan, October 2013. The one day and half workshop brought the stakeholders from States, FAO, NGOs and National Government staff to develop preparedness response and during the event one participant's statement must have been misquoted.
Therefore I, Aluma Araba Ameri, am stating that no report from any part of South Sudan concerning Rift Valley Fever was ever received.
Kindly promptly revert the alert and inform public audience accordingly.
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[ProMED is happy to report that South Sudan is RVF-free.
ProMED posts newsmedia reports of outbreaks in good faith, and also confirmation of them (or otherwise) from official sources when they become available. - Mod.JW]
