Herd of brown, black, and white cattle crowded on a dry path with thorny branches

Advancing One Health Solutions for Rift Valley Fever

  • by Eunah Preston

Forecasts of a potential strong El Niño event underscore the need for proactive planning as these climate conditions have historically been associated with Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreaks in East Africa, affecting animal health, human health, and livelihoods.

Drs. Ana Pérola Brandão and Brian Bird collaborated with researchers from Ifakara Health Institute, UC Davis One Health Institute, and Colorado State University to explore how a coordinated One Health approach to vaccination could strengthen prevention of RVF. Their work was recently published in CABI One Health.

The publication proposes a framework for integrating livestock and human vaccination strategies, highlighting how One Health collaboration across veterinary, public health, and environmental sectors could improve preparedness, maximize resources, and support more equitable disease prevention as human RVF vaccines become available.

This work also complements our DDvax project, funded by CEPI, which is advancing development of a human RVF vaccine, bringing us one step closer to the integrated vaccination strategies envisioned in this paper.