New Viral Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Senegal Has 17 Dead and Hundreds Infected
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Oct 10, 2025 7 hours, 38 minutes ago
Medical News: A Deadly Resurgence Alarms Health Authorities
Senegal is grappling with a sudden and deadly resurgence of Rift Valley Fever (RVF), a mosquito-borne viral disease that has already claimed 17 lives and infected more than a hundred people across the nation. The outbreak, officially declared on September 21, has sent shockwaves through the country’s health system, marking its most serious RVF crisis in over three decades. Most of the 119 confirmed cases have emerged in northern Senegal’s livestock-producing regions, an area highly vulnerable to zoonotic diseases transmitted between animals and humans. Health officials are now warning that the virus could spread further if containment efforts falter.
New Viral Outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Senegal Has 17 Dead and Hundreds Infected
How the Outbreak Began
According to Dr. Boly Diop, head of RVF surveillance at Senegal’s Ministry of Health, this is the first time Senegal has seen such a large number of human cases. Rift Valley Fever primarily affects livestock, including cattle, sheep, and goats, but humans can become infected through mosquito bites or direct contact with infected animal fluids. This
Medical News report highlights that while the virus does not spread from person to person, those who handle livestock—such as farmers, herders, and slaughterhouse workers—are at the highest risk. The World Health Organization (WHO) warns that RVF can cause mild flu-like symptoms in most patients but can escalate to severe complications such as hemorrhagic fever, encephalitis, and blindness, which may lead to death in up to 50 percent of severe cases.
The Climate Connection and Rising Risks
Health experts link the resurgence of RVF to extreme weather patterns driven by climate change. Dr. Merawi Aragaw Tegegne, an epidemiologist at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), explained that northern Senegal has long been an endemic zone for RVF, but outbreaks are becoming more frequent across Africa due to changing rainfall patterns. “When you have torrential rain followed by quick floods and then sunny days, that creates perfect breeding conditions for mosquitoes,” Tegegne said. This volatile climate cycle, now increasingly common due to global warming, provides ideal conditions for the virus to thrive and reemerge in new regions.
Lessons from the Past and Fears for the Future
The outbreak evokes memories of the devastating 1987–1988 epidemic that killed more than 200 people in Senegal and neighboring Mauritania. Similar catastrophic outbreaks have struck Kenya and Somalia, where hundreds perished in 1998, and the virus even reached Saudi Arabia and Yemen in 2000, marking its first recorded cases outside Africa. Experts fear that with continued global temperature rise and increased flooding, RVF could expand beyond its traditional boundaries and pose a broader international threat.
Urgent Calls for Action
Authorities admit that Senegal&
rsquo;s current response has been slowed by low public awareness, delayed case detection, and inadequate early warning systems. To curb the spread, health agencies are now intensifying surveillance, distributing mosquito nets, launching livestock vaccination drives, and enhancing community education campaigns. The WHO and Africa CDC emphasize that controlling the virus in animals is crucial to preventing human infections. They also call for increased regional collaboration to monitor climate-linked disease risks and strengthen veterinary and medical infrastructure.
The Rift Valley Fever outbreak in Senegal serves as another reminder of how climate instability and neglected zoonotic diseases can quickly spiral into public health crises. Without rapid intervention and long-term preventive strategies, similar viral emergencies may soon become more common across Africa and beyond.
Media References:
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/senegal-reports-17-deaths-rift-valley-fever-outbreak-2025-10-09/
https://apnews.com/article/senegal-rift-valley-fever-outbreak-d749c04910cb6bc5d8ed69b85e70f7c9
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Medical News.
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