| Disease/Syndrome |
Rift valley fever |
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| Category |
Infection, Occupational |
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| Acute/Chronic |
Acute-Severe |
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| Synonyms |
RVF |
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| Biomedical References |
Search PubMed |
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| Comments |
Complications of this mosquito-borne viral infection include encephalitis, hepatitis, and hemorrhages. Fever may be biphasic. Sheep and other vertebrates are reservoirs. Workers may be infected handling tissues of animals (necropsy or butchering). [CCDM, p. 45-8] An investigational vaccine has not been approved by the FDA. [CDC Travel, p. 360] Initial symptoms are a flu-like illness with lower backache, photophobia, and headache. Two severe complications that occur in about 1% of cases are encephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. The hemorrhagic fever is associated with hepatitis, jaundice, DIC, thrombocytopenia, leukopenia, hemorrhages, renal failure, and shock. Another complication is retinitis. [Guerrant, p. 758] Less than 1% of patients develop hemorrhagic fever and encephalitis. Retinitis occurs in about 10% of patients. [Borio L et al. Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses as Biological Weapons. JAMA.2002;287:2391-2404] Most patients have a mild illness. Less than 2% develop eye disease, and less than 1% develop meningoencephalitis and hemorrhagic fever. Eye disease may result in permanent loss of vision. The hemorrhagic fever syndrome may include a purpuric rash. It is possible that transmission occurs by ingestion of raw milk. [www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets] |
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| Latency/Incubation |
3-12 days |
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| Diagnostic |
Serology; Culture; Antigen detection by ELISA; |
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| ICD-9 Code |
066.3 |
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| Scope |
The virus is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa with outbreaks in the Nile Delta, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritania, Kenya, Tanzania, and recently (2000) in Saudia Arabia and Yemen. [CDC Travel, 358] |
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| Reference Link |
CDC - Rift valley fever |
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| Related Information in Haz-Map |
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| Symptoms/Findings |
Symptoms/Findings associated with this disease:
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| Job Tasks |
High risk job tasks associated with this disease:
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