Individual-based network model for Rift Valley fever in Kabale District, Uganda
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Date
2019
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PloS one
Abstract
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic disease, that causes significant morbidity and mortality
among ungulate livestock and humans in endemic regions. In East Africa, the causative
agent of the disease is Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) which is primarily transmitted by multiple
mosquito species in Aedes and Mansonia genera during both epizootic and enzootic
periods in a complex transmission cycle largely driven by environmental and climatic factors.
However, recent RVFV activity in Uganda demonstrated the capability of the virus to
spread into new regions through livestock movements, and underscored the need to
develop effective mitigation strategies to reduce transmission and prevent spread among
cattle populations. We simulated RVFV transmission among cows in 22 different locations
of the Kabale District in Uganda using real world livestock data in a network-based model.
This model considered livestock as a spatially explicit factor in different locations subjected
to specific vector and environmental factors, and was configured to investigate and quantitatively
evaluate the relative impacts of mosquito control, livestock movement, and diversity in
cattle populations on the spread of the RVF epizootic. We concluded that cattle movement
should be restricted for periods of high mosquito abundance to control epizootic spreading
among locations during an RVF outbreak. Importantly, simulation results also showed that
cattle populations with heterogeneous genetic diversity as crossbreeds were less susceptible
to infection compared to homogenous cattle populations.
Description
Keywords
Individual-based network model, Rift Valley fever, Uganda
Citation
Sekamatte M, Riad MH, Tekleghiorghis T, Linthicum KJ, Britch SC, Richt JA, et al. (2019) Individual-based network model for Rift Valley fever in Kabale District, Uganda. PLoS ONE 14(3): e0202721. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0202721