Abstract: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is one of the five priority zoonotic diseases in the Central African Republic monitored by human, animal, and environmental health services, but epidemiological data on this disease is currently limited or even non-existent in the country. This study was therefore conducted in the country to assess the prevalence of the disease in ruminants (cattle, goats, and sheep) in the sub-prefecture of Ngaoundaye, a town located in the prefecture of Lim-pendé, which borders the Republic of Cameroon (2 km) and Chad (10 km). To this end, 239 serum samples were collected from cattle (n = 28), sheep (n = 46), and goats (n = 165). An analysis was carried out at the central veterinary laboratory in Bangui using a competitive ELISA test to detect the presence of antibodies against the FVR virus. The results obtained from the laboratory indicated an overall prevalence of 0.83%. By species, the prevalence was 7.14% in cattle, while all samples from sheep and goats were negative for Rift Valley fever. These data show that Rift Valley fever virus is circulating silently among ruminants in the Ngaoundaye region and call for urgent measures for active surveillance of Rift Valley fever in animals by the country's veterinary services.
Abstract: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is one of the five priority zoonotic diseases in the Central African Republic monitored by human, animal, and environmental health services, but epidemiological data on this disease is currently limited or even non-existent in the country. This study was therefore conducted in the country to assess the prevalence of the dise...Show More