WHO WATCH: Rift Valley Fever and Community Protection: Gaps, Needs and Priorities

Credit: WHO

Background:

‘Since September 2025, Senegal and Mauritania have been facing an unusually severe outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF), affecting both human and animal populations across multiple districts along the Senegal River Valley. Both Senegal and Mauritania have declared the outbreak as a public health and animal health emergency, with the risk to human and animal health assessed as high at national level and moderate at regional level.

‘This EPI-WIN webinar will raise global and regional awareness of the community protection dimensions of the Rift Valley Fever (RVF) outbreaks and response so that these are consistently reflected in response operations and research priorities. It will help ensure that future interventions are better aligned with community realities and strengthen trust, participation, and protection at local level.’

Objectives:

• To raise awareness of Rift Valley fever (RVF) and provide an update on the current outbreak in Senegal and Mauritania
• To highlight the community protection dimensions of RVF prevention and control, with a focus on community engagement, communication, and social protection
• To identify practical actions and evidence gaps where community-centred approaches can strengthen outbreak response.

AGENDA:

• Welcome remarks: The importance of community protection in the current RVF outbreak: Kai von Harbou, Unit Head, Community Resilience and Protection, WHO headquarters
• Defining priorities for community-based research and interventions: Nina Gobat, Senior Technical Officer, Community Resilience and Protection, WHO headquarters
• WHO update: What is RVF and what is happening in the current outbreak: Alejandro Costa, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF), Epidemic Pandemic Management (EPM) department , WHO headquarters

Panel Discussion:

• Community-based priorities from the current outbreak in Senegal: Albert Ndione, Socio-anthropologist, COUS emergency response team in Senegal, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar

• Community-Based Surveillance (CBS) to strengthen early detection and community level reporting of health events, including RVF: Yacine Mbodj, Socio-anthropologist, Institute Pasteur, Dakar

• Learnings from the RVF outbreak in Rwanda March: Anselme Shayka, One Health Specialist, University of Global Health Equity, Rwanda

• The vital role of local communities in tackling RVF outbreaks: a senior veterinarian’s view from the field: Mathioro Fall, Head of the Animal Health Protection Division, Directorate of Veterinary Services, Senegal

• Q&A