Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease of humans and livestock that can cause mild to severe symptoms.

Stopping the movement of animals during an outbreak may also be useful, as may decreasing mosquito numbers and avoiding their bites.

The disease was first reported among livestock in Rift Valley of Kenya in the early 1900s,[2] and the virus was first isolated in 1931.

Usually, they have either no symptoms or only a mild illness with fever, headache, muscle pains, and liver abnormalities.

[citation needed] Other signs in livestock include vomiting and diarrhea, respiratory disease, fever, lethargy, anorexia, and sudden death in young animals.

[citation needed] The virus' 11.5 kb tripartite genome is composed of single-stranded RNA.

[14] This inhibitory mechanism is believed to be due to several reasons, the first being, competitive inhibition of the formation of the transcription factor.

[13] On this transcription factor, NSs interacts with and binds to a subunit that is needed for RNA polymerase I and II.

[13][15] This complex causes histone acetylation to regress, which is needed for transcriptional activation of the IFN promoter.

When RVFV can enter the host's DNA, NSs forms a filamentous structure in the nucleus.

This allows the virus to interact with specific areas of the host's DNA that relates to segregation defects and induction of chromosome continuity.

[3] Other methods of diagnosis include Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT), cell culture, and IgM antibody assays.

[16] As of September 2016, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) has developed a product called Immunoline, designed to diagnose the disease in humans much faster than in previous methods.

[18] Potentially, establishing environmental monitoring and case surveillance systems may aid in the prediction and control of future RVF outbreaks.

Live vaccines require a single injection but are known to cause birth defects and abortions in sheep and induce only low-level protection in cattle.

Alternative vaccines using molecular recombinant constructs are in development and show promising results.

[20] It has been shown that knockout of the NSs and NSm nonstructural proteins of this virus produces an effective vaccine in sheep as well.

[22] RVFV can be transmitted vertically in mosquitos, meaning that the virus can be passed from the mother to her offspring.