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Rift valley fever
(RVF) is an arboviral disease produced by a bunyavirus belonging to
the genus Phlebovirus.
Several
species of Aedes and Culex are the vectors of this virus that affects
sheep,goats, buffalos, cattle, camels and human beings.
The human disease
is well known, especially during periods of intense epizootic
activity.
The initial
description of the disease dates back to 1930, when animals and human
outbreaks appeared on a farm in Lake Naivasha, in the Great Rift
Valley of Kenya.
Until 2000, this
disease was only described in Africa, and
there have
been cases in southern and eastern Africa and in the Sudan and Egypt.
Later outbreaks
were also declared in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (2000-2001 and 2004)
and in Yemen (2000-2001).
Clinical
presentation: In human
nonspecific,
influenza-like symptoms (headace, fever, myalgia, etc) are prominent.
Hemorrhagic complications resembling those of
yellow fever
develop in some patients and may be fatal.
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