Endemic and emerging arboviral diseases of livestock in Nigeria: a review

Abstract

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are the largest biologic group of vertebrate viruses and constitute important emerging infectious disease agents globally. Arthropod transmission provides a way for viruses to cross species barriers since the same arthropod may bite animals that rarely or never come into close contact in nature. In Nigeria, arboviruses have, over several decades, caused severe diseases in livestock resulting in great economic losses and, sometimes, infection of humans leading to morbidity and mortality. In the present review, a computerized search of existing literature was conducted using the Google search engine and PubMed electronic database to identify and review relevant publications on arboviral diseases of livestock in Nigeria. The keywords used were ‘arbovirus’, ‘arthropod-borne viral diseases’ or ‘livestock diseases’ and ‘Nigeria’ while the Boolean operator ‘OR’ was used to combine and narrow the searches. Additional information was obtained by searching the veterinary libraries for journals not listed in the database. The available publications were thereafter reviewed and findings qualitatively described. Our findings revealed that although there were several studies on arboviruses and the livestock diseases they cause in Nigeria, most of such reports were made four to six decades ago, with only a few reported recently. Consequently, the true economic and public health impact of these diseases are likely to be underestimated, mainly due to under-reporting or lack of awareness of them. Thus, it is essential to update information on arboviral diseases in Nigeria in order to increase awareness of the diseases and facilitate their prompt identification and reporting. The importance of routine surveillance for arbovirus livestock diseases and sentinel herd monitoring as basis for development of an early warning and alert system to prevent future outbreaks is discussed.

Application of satellite imagery for vector-borne disease monitoring in sub-Saharan Africa: An overview

“…Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an arthropod-borne virus that primarily causes high mortality rates and widespread miscarriages in domestic animals, but it can also infect humans. Rats and camels are the primary natural reservoirs of the RVF virus, with most infected animals belonging to these species (Oluwayelu et al, 2018) (Dargie, 2008). Restricted attempts have been made to apply RS in epidemiology, however, the procedures have not proven to be as beneficial as expected.…”

Emerging Arboviruses of Public Health Concern in Africa: Priorities for Future Research and Control Strategies

“…This health promotion deficit has resulted in poor knowledge, attitude, and practices amongst the general populace in affected countries. In addition, the lack of public trust in the appropriate treatment options offered by healthcare services has contributed to the spread of arboviral diseases in Africa [61][62][63][64].…”

Arboviruses, an Emerging Threat to Public Health: Focus on Nigeria, West Africa

“…About 65 years ago, several arboviruses were reported in Nigeria, where most of these viruses have now acquired endemic status of human and veterinary importance. However, this report was achieved due to the availability of virology laboratories, veterinarians, and laboratory professionals and increased surveillance systems and diagnostic tools [26] .…”