Disease Outbreak News: Rift Valley fever- Mauritania and Senegal

No images? Click here Wednesday, 05 November 2025 DISEASE OUTBREAK NEWS Rift Valley fever- Mauritania and Senegal Situation at a glance Between 20 September and 30 October 2025, a total of 404 confirmed human cases of Rift Valley fever (RVF), including 42 deaths, were reported by national health authorities in two West African countries: Mauritania and Senegal. RVF is a zoonotic disease, which mainly affects animals, but can also infect humans.  The majority of human infections result from contact with the blood or organs of infected animals, but human infections have also resulted from the bites of infected mosquitoes.  To date, no human-to-human transmission of RVF has been documented.  While RVF often leads to severe illness in animals, its impact in humans varies, ranging from mild flu-like symptoms to severe hemorrhagic fever that can be fatal. RVF is endemic in both countries, where recurrent outbreaks have been previously reported in both livestock and humans.  The risk of further spread remains high, especially with environmental conditions favorable to the proliferation of mosquitoes, periods of heavy rains and increased mosquito activity, as well as movements of livestock within the country and towards Mali and Gambia for grazing and trade.  The response to RVF outbreaks requires a One Health approach, based on enhanced collaboration between the human health, animal health and environmental sectors, in both countries and at the regional level.  WHO, in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), currently assesses the overall risk as high at the national levels, moderate at the regional level and low at the global level. The full text of the DON, including regional trends, WHO risk assessment and advice: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON584 Media contacts: mediainquiries@who.int     You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list. If you have been forwarded this update you can click here to subscribe. Journalists may send feedback to WHO Media Team         Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1202 Geneva 27, Switzerland  Unsubscribe