Poster communication in 8th EPIZONE Annual Meeting "Primed for tomorrow"

September 23^rd, 2014

Martinez-Aviles M., Fernandez-Carrion E., Sanchez-Gomez A., Amela C., Luciente J. and Sanchez-Vizcaino JM.

In this work we present an assessment of the introduction of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in Spain applied to surveillance in the human and veterinary fields. The risk of introduction of RVF in the countries of the Mediterranean neighbouring the European Union was
assessed by the EFSA (2013) to be non-negligible via the unofficial introduction of infected animals in outbreak years. Spain has two autonomous cities located in North Africa where
there is a large muslim community. During the Eid-al-Adha festival the demand of live animals is very high and it is possible that animals are introduced from neighbouring
countries for immediate slaughter. While the Spanish Authorities have put measures in place to minimise the risk of transmission of RVF from a potentially infected animal to
humans, there is a need to identify the locations and times at higher potential risk of transmission and spread of RVF from North Africa to Spain particularly via mosquitoes.
Potential competent vector mosquitoes can be transported by the wind to the nearest cities of Ceuta and Melilla and to the Spanish mainland, separated only by the 14 km wide
Gibraltar Strait. The conditions for the establishment in Spain have been evaluated by analysing the national database of vector surveillance since 2005 along with
environmental and climatic variables as well as animal and human hosts. Joining both the evaluation of the introduction as well as the conditions for the establishment we aim to
offer a support for the early detection of a zoonotic emerging disease like RVF

	Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Centro de Coordinación de Alertas y Emergencias Sanitarias (CCAES). Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad.
	Universidad de Zaragoza (UNIZAR).
	Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).