Dutch develop new vaccines against upcoming Rift Valley Fever

The Central Veterinary Institute in the Netherlands has developed two candidate vaccines to protect animals (and possible also humans) against the Rift Valley fever virus – a virus that can be deadly for ruminants and tends to be moving from Africa to Europe.

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a viral zoonosis that primarily affects animals but also has the capacity to infect humans. Infection can cause severe disease in both animals and humans, leading to high rates of disease and death. The disease also results in significant economic losses due to death and abortion among RVF-infected livestock.

‘It is better to prevent the outbreak of a new disease instead of acting afterwards” according to researcher Rob Moormann. “It is a matter of time that the disease reaches Europe. Through climate change, international trade and tourism the virus can be introduced from Africa to Europe” explains Moormann. Moormann and its team have built in a protein (produced by the Rift Valley virus) in a Newcastle disease vaccine.