Affected Area: Kakamas Area, specifically the vicinity of Augrabies.
1. Confirmed Outbreak Notification
T o all Farmers Organizations, Agricultural Stakeholders, individual Farmers, and Medical Practitioners
operating in the Northern Cape , Rift Valley Fever Virus Disease has been confirmed in the province in a
sheep population by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Rese arch Laboratory.
2. Critical Information: Zoonotic Risk
Rift Valley Fever is readily transmissible from infected animals to humans ( zoonotic). While RVF typically
causes a flu like illness with fever, muscle and joint pain, and headaches in humans, severe complications, including fatal hemorrhagic fever, can occur. If any of these symptoms occur, please contact your nearest medical facility.
Avoid the following risk activities for human infection:
Handling sick animals:
- Assisting with birthing or abortion events.
- Handling animal tissues, especially aborted fetuses and placentas.
- Conducting postmortems or slaughtering infect ed animals.
3. Action Required for Farmers and Stakeholders
We urge all farmers to vaccinate all sheep, goats and cattle against Rift Valley Fever as a preventative
measure.
We also urge all individuals handling livestock or animal products to implement the following safety
protocols immediately:
- Always wear Full Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) when dealing with sick or deceased
animals, aborted material, or conducting postmortems. This includes disposable gloves, face shields or goggles, surgical masks, and waterproof aprons or overalls.
- Handling aborted fetuses, placentas, and other birthing materials poses the highest risk. These materials must be handled with extreme care and safely disposed of immediately, preferably by deep burial or incineration, following local regulatory guidelines.
- Immediately report any sudden increases in animal abortions, high fever in livestock, or unusual animal deaths to the nearest State Veterinarian or Animal Health Technician.
- RVF is transmitted by mosquitoes. Implement aggressive mosquito control measures, particularly around livestock enclosures and water sources.
Contact and Reporting
- Your cooperation is vital in preventing the further spread of this disease.
- For Animal Disease Reporting & Veterinary Advice:
Upington State Veterinary Office Animal Health Office 087 630 0304 083 452 9850 /
078 486 9275
For Human Case Reporting & Public Health Inquiries: Nearest Medical facility
