Rift Valley fever: Introduction

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral zoonosis that primarily affects animals but can also infect humans. The majority of human infections result from contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. Human infections can also result from the bites of infected mosquitoes and hematophagous (blood-feeding) flies. The disease ranges from a mild flu-like illness to severe haemorrhagic fever that can be lethal. This course provides a general introduction to RVF and is intended for incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs.

**Please note: This course was developed in 2017. For the latest updates, please refer to the relevant health topics on the WHO website.

Course information

La version française de ce cours est disponible sur : https://openwho.org/courses/FVR-introduction

Overview: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral zoonosis that primarily affects animals but can also infect humans. The majority of human infections result from contact with the blood or organs of infected animals. Human infections can also result from the bites of infected mosquitoes and hematophagous (blood-feeding) flies. The disease ranges from a mild flu-like illness to severe haemorrhagic fever that can be lethal. This course provides a general introduction to RVF and is intended for incident managers and personnel working for the United Nations, international organizations and NGOs.

Learning objective: By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• describe signs, symptoms, and transmission routes of Rift Valley Fever;
• list prevention and control techniques; and
• describe RVF public health challenges.

Course duration: Approximately 1 hour.

Certificates: A Confirmation of Participation is available to participants who complete at least 80% of the course materials.

Course contents

• Rift Valley Fever :

  This section is an introductory-level overview of the disease.