Rift Valley fever (RVF) is one of the most important emerging diseases, affecting both humans and animals, but also as a potential bioterrorism agent. Over the last 80 years, RVF has threatened peoples livelihoods by affecting human health (flu-like illnesses, meningo-encephalitis, haemorrhagic fever or death) mainly throughout Africa, as well as livestock productivity at the farm level (abortion storms and mortality in newborns livestock), and national level by imposing bans on livestock trade on RVF epidemic areas.
Although RVF epidemics have been confined to Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the South-Western Indian Ocean islands (including Mayotte), RVF constitutes a growing health concern at a global level, because of its potential for re-emergence in those previously affected areas, and subsequent spread and establishment into current disease-free areas (e.g. US, Europe or Asia).
Whilst RVF, as an OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) listed disease, has to be publicly and internationally notified, the major hindrance towards RVF control lies in the lack of information on the disease and hosts. Due to its recent description (1931) and its occurrence in resource-scarce settings, infection data are difficult to collect. Therefore, the current hypotheses for virus re-emergence have not yet been fully tested nor quantified. This knowledge is necessary to scientifically underpin optimal disease control efforts. As well as understanding and predicting the basic epidemiology of the infection, there is a crucial need to understand the efficacy of different disease control options in real-world settings.

Raphaelle's research project will elucidate the mechanisms and factors underlying Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus re-emergence in the human and livestock populations, from local or imported sources, in Mayotte, as a case-study of RVF in general. In addition, the effectiveness of different controls policies (animal vaccination and animal movement restrictions) in reducing the impact of RVF on both humans and livestock will be explored.