Abstract:
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a re-emerging zoonotic disease of domestic ruminants and humans.
While neighbouring countries have reported outbreaks of RVF, Ghana has not yet identified any cases.
The aim of this study was to determine whether RVF virus (RVFV) was circulating in livestock and
herders in the southern part of Ghana, to estimate its seroprevalence, and to identify associated risk
factors. The study surveyed 165 livestock farms randomly selected from two districts in southern
Ghana. Serum samples of 253 goats, 246 sheep, 220 cattle, and 157 herdsmen were tested to detect
IgG and IgM antibodies against RVFV. The overall seroprevalence of anti-RVF antibodies in livestock
was 13.1% and 30.9% of farms had RVFV seropositive animals. The species-specific prevalence was
24.1% in cattle, 8.5% in sheep, and 7.9% in goats. A RVFV IgG seroprevalence of 17.8% was found
among the ruminant herders, with 8.3% of all herders being IgM positive. RVFV was shown, for
the first time, to have been circulating in southern Ghana, with evidence of a recent outbreak in
Kwahu East; however, it was clinically undetected despite significant recent human exposure. A
One Health approach is recommended to better understand RVF epidemiology and socio-economic
impact in Ghana.
