Experts discuss advances in Rift Valley fever epidemiology and human vaccine research

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral zoonotic disease that affects people and livestock, causing significant health and socioeconomic impacts.

There are currently no RVF vaccines that have been licensed for humans although several likely vaccine candidates are in early stages of development.

However, the pathway to a human RVF vaccine is hampered by gaps that exist in RVF epidemiological data, making it difficult to accurately predict the risk of outbreaks and carry out vaccine efficacy studies.

To address these issues, in June 2024, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) brought together representatives from RVF-endemic countries, global collaborators, and international health organizations for a two-day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya.

Among the workshop participants were Bernard Bett, John Juma, and Samuel Oyola, scientists from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).

CEPI is a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats.

The participants discussed RVF epidemiology, modeling priorities, and specific gaps in human RVF vaccine development.

Priorities

They identified five key priorities:

1. Looking beyond outbreaks to better understand the One Health epidemiology of RVF and how the RVF virus persists in between outbreak periods.
2. Improving the quality of epidemiological data to enable more accurate risk modelling and outbreak prediction.
3. Developing improved diagnostic techniques to inform epidemiology and clinical case definitions.
4. Defining use cases, regulatory pathways, and implementation strategies for human RVF vaccines.
5. Adopting people-centered approaches that ensure community engagement and involvement of social and behavioral scientists in vaccine research and development.

At the close of the workshop, the participants expressed enthusiasm to continue with their multidisciplinary collaborations and knowledge exchange to support human RVF vaccine research and development.

Citation

Gharpure, R., Vegvari, C., Abdissa, A., Alimi, Y., Anyamba, A., Auerbach, J., Bett, B., Bird, B.H., Bob, N.S., Breugelmans, J.G., Clark, J., Cleaveland, S., Cramer, J., Dawa, J., Fay, P.C., Formenty, P., Gerdts, V., Gerken, K.N., Gitonga, J., Groschup, M., Heighway, J., Johnson, S.A.M., Juma, J., Kading, R.C., Kamau, M., Kerama, S., Lubisi, B.A., Lutwama, J., Luyimbazi, D., Marami, D., Moore, S.M., Muturi, M., Mwangoka, G., Ndiu, A., Njenga, M.K., Njouom, R., Nyakarahuka, L., Nzietchueng, S., Oloo, P., Otiende, M., Oyola, S., Paganini, L.S., Pandit, P.S., Punt, C., Samy, A.M., Situma, S., Sneddon, H., Bosch, Q.A. ten, Tezcan-Ulger, S., Thompson, P.N., Tildesley, M., Tinto, B., Vesga, J.F., Wichgers Schreur, P.P. and Hart, P. 2025. Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4–5 June 2024. Vaccine 54: 126860.

Photo: Orma Boran cattle crossing a river in Kenya (ILRI /Rosemary Dolan)