Seroprevalence and Co‐Circulation of Rift Valley Fever Virus and West Nile Fever Virus in Livestock Population of Afar Region, Northeast Ethiopia

Abstract

The distribution, epidemiology, and socioeconomic impact of Rift Valley fever (RVF) and West Nile (WN) viruses are poorly known in areas of sub‐Saharan countries like Ethiopian pastoral region. The human and livestock density in the area has increased greatly in recent years, but little work has been done on arboviral diseases and their potential impact on human and livestock health. The aim of this study was to detect the circulation of zoonotic arboviruses such as Rift Valley fever virus and West Nile viruses in the livestock population and to estimate seroprevalence in Afar pastoral area northeast Ethiopia. Cross‐sectional serological survey was carried out in 736 serum samples from which cattle (224), camel (155), goats (121), sheep (144), and donkeys (92) were tested for the presence of anti‐RVFV and anti‐WNV IgG using a competitive enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (c‐ELISA) in two purposively selected districts of the Afar region. The present study revealed a 9.1% (95% CI = 8.86–9.29) seroprevalence of co‐circulation of RVF and WNV. High 32/155 (20.7%) seroprevalence of co‐circulation was seen in camels, followed by goat 14/121 (11.6%), cattle 16/224 (7.14%), and sheep 5/144 (3.5%), respectively, and higher 41/421 (9.7%) seroprevalence of co‐circulation was observed in Amibara district than Haruka district. Camels were seven times (OR: 7.016, 95% CI = 2.639–18.653) more likely to be seropositive for the co‐circulation than sheep (p ≤ 0.001). Livestock herds found in Amibara district were 1.2 times (OR: 1.165, 95% CI = 0.680–1.996) more likely to be seropositive for RVFV infection than those in Haruka areas. Given the co‐occurrence of RVFV and WNV circulations, along with often suboptimal human and animal health surveillance in many similar areas’ attention should be given. Investigation of the potential socioeconomic and health impacts of zoonotic arbovirus infections in such areas is crucial. Since both RVFV and WNFV are transmitted through a mosquito vector, avoiding mosquito bites is the primary method of prevention.