Tracking Rift Valley fever: From Mali to Europe and other countries, 2016

Christelle Tong (1) , Emilie Javelle (2) , Gilda Grard (3, 4) , Aissata Dia (1) , Constance Lacrosse (1) , Toscane Fourié (3, 4) , Patrick Gravier (3, 4) , Stéphanie Watier-Grillot (1) , Renaud Lancelot (5, 6) , Franck Letourneur (7) , Frédéric Comby (8) , Martin Grau (9) , Lionel Cassou (10) , Jean-Baptiste Meynard (1) , Sebastien Briolant (11, 4) , Isabelle Leparc-Goffart (4, 3) , Vincent Pommier de Santi (11, 1)

1 CESPA - Centre d'épidémiologie et de santé publique des armées [Marseille]
2 Hôpital d'Instruction des Armées Laveran
3 UVE - Unité des Virus Emergents
4 IRBA - Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées [Antenne Marseille]
5 UMR ASTRE - Animal, Santé, Territoires, Risques et Ecosystèmes
6 Cirad-BIOS - Département Systèmes Biologiques
7 Service de santé des armées [Lyon]
8 Service de santé des armées [Laudun]
9 Service de santé des armées [Fréjus]
10 Service de santé des armées [Toulouse]
11 VITROME - Vecteurs - Infections tropicales et méditerranéennes

On 16 September 2016, the World Health Organization confirmed a Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak in Niger. Epidemiological surveillance was reinforced among the French Armed Forces deployed in Niger and bordering countries: Chad, Mali and Burkina Faso. On 26 October, a probable case of RVF was reported in a service member sampled in Mali 3 weeks earlier. At the time the result was reported, the patient was on vacation on Martinique. An epidemiological investigation was conducted to confirm this case and identify other cases. Finally, the case was not confirmed, but three suspected cases of RVF were confirmed using serological and molecular testing. RVF viral RNA was detectable in whole blood for 57 and 67 days after onset of symptoms for two cases, although it was absent from plasma and serum. At the time of diagnosis, these cases had already returned from Mali to Europe. The infectivity of other arboviruses in whole blood has already been highlighted. That RVF virus has been detected in whole blood that long after the onset of symptoms (67 days) raises the question of its potential prolonged infectivity. Because of exposure to tropical infectious diseases during deployment, military populations could import emerging pathogens to Europe.

Keywords: Imported viral disease; vector-borne infections; Whole blood; Rift Valley fever; Service members; Mali

Domains: Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Bacteriology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Virology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Microbiology and Parasitology; Parasitology; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Cardiology and cardiovascular system; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Emerging diseases; Life Sciences [q-bio]; Human health and pathology; Infectious diseases

Christelle Tong, Emilie Javelle, Gilda Grard, Aissata Dia, Constance Lacrosse, et al.. Tracking Rift Valley fever: From Mali to Europe and other countries, 2016. Eurosurveillance, 2019, 24 (8), pp.1-9. ⟨10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2019.24.8.1800213⟩. ⟨hal-02263770⟩