Rift Valley Fever: 10 signs and symptoms to watch out for

Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is an acute, fever-causing viral disease that affects domestic animals like cow, buffalo, sheep, goats and camels and in some cases also affects humans.

RVF is most commonly associated with mosquito-borne epidemics during unusually heavy rainfall, particularly in the eastern and southern regions of Africa.

The fever-causing viral disease is inflicted by the RVF virus. The disease was first reported among livestock by veterinary officers in Kenya in the early 1900s. Recently, it has been found that the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus spreads by mosquitoes and further enters the human cells through a protein.

The virus is borne by mosquitoes and is spread by the insect’s bite. Anyone who is exposed to infected mosquitoes can get RVF. However, more commonly, people are infected after exposure to blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals. The symptoms usually appear two to six days after the infection. RVF virus can cause several different disease syndromes.

What are the symptoms of Rift Valley Fever?

1. Those infected with RVF typically have either no symptoms or a mild illness associated with fever and liver abnormalities.

2. Patients usually experience fever, generalised weakness, back pain, dizziness, and extreme weight loss at the onset of disease.

3. Symptoms also include intolerance to light (photophobia), muscle pain, loss of appetite and prostration in humans.

4. Typically, patients infected with Rift Valley Fever recover within two days to one week after onset of the illness.

5. However, 8-10% of infected people can develop more serious forms of the illness including Hemorrhagic and Encephalitis.

6. Hemorrhagic fever occurs in less than 1% patients and may lead to shock, jaundice, and bleeding from gums, skin and nose.

7. The fatality rate for those who develop hemorrhagic fever approaches 50%.

8. Encephalitis occurs in less than 1% people and results in inflammation of brain, which can lead to headaches, coma or seizures.

9. Lesions on the eyes may occur one to three weeks after onset of initial symptoms along with blurred and decreased vision.

10. Lesions disappear after 10 to 12 weeks. 50% of the patients who experience ocular disease will have permanent vision loss.