Rift Valley Fever – assessment of effectiveness of surveillance and control measures in the EU

Nielsen, Søren Saxmose; Álvarez, Julio; Bicout, Dominique; Calistri, Paolo; Depner, Klaus; Drewe, Julian Ashley; Garin‐Bastuji, Bruno; Rojas, José Luis Gonzales; Schmidt, Christian Gortázar; Herskin, Mette S.; Michel, Virginie; Miranda, Miguel Ángel; Pasquali, Paolo; Roberts, Helen Clare; Sihvonen, Liisa; Ståhl, Karl; Velarde, Antonio; Viltrop, Arvo; Winckler, Christoph; Gubbins, Simon; Antoniou, Sotiria‐Eleni; Broglia, Alessandro; Abrahantes, José Cortiñas; Dhollander, Sofie; Stede, Yves Van der

doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6292

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…The longest period found in the selected references (Table 9 ), 20 days, was assumed in a model used to simulate the spread of RVF after introduction into the EU, and to assess the effectiveness of surveillance and control measures. The ‘mean time to reporting’ was selected considering that the incubation period for clinical signs is around 4–7 days, and considering the time for the development of serious signs and to have more animals affected, to get the farmer’s attention (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020c ). In addition, in the same report, it is also mentioned that during the 2018–2019 RVF in Mayotte, the outbreaks in animals were usually confirmed about 10–15 days after the onset of clinical signs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The methodology described in Section 2.3 of the EFSA AHAW Panel ( 2020 ) and in scientific opinions about RVF (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020a , b , c ) was followed for the assessment of Scenario 5 of ToR 2. Details about the review protocol are in Annex H .…”

Section: Data and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The assessment of radius size of restricted zones (ToR 3), to prevent further disease spread at a given probability, was performed by using disease transmission kernels (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020c ).…”

Section: Data and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Transmission kernels have been used to previously to assess potential spread and control of RVF in Europe (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020c ). A fat‐tailed kernel was estimated from outbreak data from Tanzania in 2007, while two exponential kernels were constructed based on the mean dispersal distance of mosquito vectors, with a value assumed to be up to 7 km (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020b ) (Table 11 ).…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A fat‐tailed kernel was estimated from outbreak data from Tanzania in 2007, while two exponential kernels were constructed based on the mean dispersal distance of mosquito vectors, with a value assumed to be up to 7 km (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020b ) (Table 11 ). No other better fitting outbreak data are available for this purpose, this approach and related assumptions were already discussed in a previous opinion on RVF (EFSA AHAW Panel, 2020c ) (Figure 5 ).…”

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of the control measures of the category A diseases of Animal Health Law: Rift Valley Fever

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2022

EFS2

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EFSA received a mandate from the European Commission to assess the effectiveness of some of the control measures against diseases included in the Category A list according to Regulation (EU) 2016/ 429 on transmissible animal diseases ('Animal Health Law'). This opinion belongs to a series of opinions where these control measures were assessed for several diseases, with this opinion covering the assessment of control measures for Rift Valley Fever (RVF). In this opinion, EFSA and the AHAW Panel of experts review the effectiveness of: (i) clinical and laboratory sampling procedures, (ii) monitoring period and (iii) the minimum radius of the protection and surveillance zone and the minimum length of time the measures should be applied in these zones. The general methodology used for this series of opinions has been published elsewhere; nonetheless, the transmission kernels used for the assessment of the minimum radius of the protection and surveillance zones are shown. Several scenarios for which these control measures had to be assessed were designed and agreed prior to the start of the assessment. Different risk-based sampling procedures based on clinical visits and laboratory testing are assessed in case of outbreak suspicion, granting animal movements and for repopulation purposes. The length of monitoring period and minimum duration of measures to be implemented in the restricted zones as defined in the Delegated Regulation (30 days) are considered effective for the investigation and control of suspected and confirmed RVF outbreaks, as well as the size of protection and surveillance zone of 20 and 50 km, respectively, which are assessed as sufficient to contain disease transmission with at least 95% probability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data and Methodologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Assessment of the control measures of the category A diseases of Animal Health Law: Rift Valley Fever

Nielsen¹,

Álvarez²,

Bicout³

et al. 2022

EFS2

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Addressing biohazards to food security in primary production

et al. 2022

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This review addresses ways to prepare for and to mitigate effects of biohazards on primary production of crops and livestock. These biohazards can be natural or intentional introductions of pathogens, and they can cause major economic damage to farmers, the agricultural industry, society, and international trade. Agroterrorism is the intentional introduction of animal or plant pathogens into agricultural production systems with the intention to cause socioeconomic harm and generate public fear. Although few acts of agroterrorism are reported, the threat of agroterrorism in Europe is real. New concerns about threats arise from the rapid advancements in biotechnology and emerging technologies. FORSA, an analytical framework for risk and vulnerability analysis, was used to review how to prepare for and mitigate the possible effects of natural or intentional biohazards in agricultural production. Analyzing the effects of a biohazard event involves multiple scientific disciplines. A comprehensive analysis of biohazards therefore requires a systems approach. The preparedness and ability to manage events are strengthened by bolstered farm biosecurity, increased monitoring and laboratory capacity, improved inter-agency communication and resource allocation. The focus of this review is on Europe, but the insights gained have worldwide applications. The analytical framework used here is compared to other frameworks. With climate change, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, the supply chains are challenged, and we foresee increasing food prices associated with social tensions. Our food supply chain becomes more fragile with more unknowns, thereby increasing the needs for risk and vulnerability analyses, of which FORSA is one example.

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Mechanistic models of Rift Valley fever virus transmission: A systematic review

et al. 2022

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Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic arbovirosis which has been reported across Africa including the northernmost edge, South West Indian Ocean islands, and the Arabian Peninsula. The virus is responsible for high abortion rates and mortality in young ruminants, with economic impacts in affected countries. To date, RVF epidemiological mechanisms are not fully understood, due to the multiplicity of implicated vertebrate hosts, vectors, and ecosystems. In this context, mathematical models are useful tools to develop our understanding of complex systems, and mechanistic models are particularly suited to data-scarce settings. Here, we performed a systematic review of mechanistic models studying RVF, to explore their diversity and their contribution to the understanding of this disease epidemiology. Researching Pubmed and Scopus databases (October 2021), we eventually selected 48 papers, presenting overall 49 different models with numerical application to RVF. We categorized models as theoretical, applied, or grey, depending on whether they represented a specific geographical context or not, and whether they relied on an extensive use of data. We discussed their contributions to the understanding of RVF epidemiology, and highlighted that theoretical and applied models are used differently yet meet common objectives. Through the examination of model features, we identified research questions left unexplored across scales, such as the role of animal mobility, as well as the relative contributions of host and vector species to transmission. Importantly, we noted a substantial lack of justification when choosing a functional form for the force of infection. Overall, we showed a great diversity in RVF models, leading to important progress in our comprehension of epidemiological mechanisms. To go further, data gaps must be filled, and modelers need to improve their code accessibility.

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Rift Valley Fever – assessment of effectiveness of surveillance and control measures in the EU

Cited by 7 publications

References 71 publications

Assessment of the control measures of the category A diseases of Animal Health Law: Rift Valley Fever

Assessment of the control measures of the category A diseases of Animal Health Law: Rift Valley Fever

Addressing biohazards to food security in primary production

Mechanistic models of Rift Valley fever virus transmission: A systematic review

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