Rift Valley fever during the <scp>COVID</scp>‐19 pandemic in Africa: A double burden for Africa's healthcare system
Olivier Uwishema, Elie Chalhoub, Tania Torbati, Success David, Carlo Khoury, Lucas Loiola Ponte Albuquerque Ribeiro, Yves Nasrallah, Bezawit Kassahun Bekele, Helen Onyeaka
Abstract
A new rising incidence of Rift Valley fever (RVF) among livestock and humans in the African continent during the COVID-19 pandemic has become of increasing concern. We analyzed the different ways COVID-19 has contributed to the increase in RVF cases and how it has impacted the interventions allocated to the disease by comparing it with the status of the disease before the pandemic. There is enough evidence to conclude that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the efforts being taken to prevent outbreaks of RVF. Therefore, with no definitive treatment in place and inadequate preventive measures and disease control, RVF may potentially lead to a future epidemic unless addressed urgently.