Rift Valley Fever (RVF) virus has been discovered in human cells, a Kashmir-based virologist notified, according to media reports. The virus is spread by mosquitos among domesticated animals, which then pass it on to people. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists RVF as a prioritised disease likely to cause epidemics in the near future.
“The discovery by Dr. Safder Ganaie and his colleagues was recently published in the journal Cell. Dr Ganaie and his team found that the Rift Valley Fever virus, spread by mosquitoes, enters human cells through a protein normally involved in mopping up low-density lipoproteins – the carriers of so-called ‘bad cholesterol’ — from the blood,” a news magazine published from Srinagar reported.
The study was conducted in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh, University of Toronto, Harvard University, and Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, as per Kashmir Life.
Dr Ganaie was the lead author of the study. He received his master’s degree from the University of Kashmir before moving to the United States for further studies. There, he got a doctorate in virology with honours from the University of Kansas, as per the report.
What are the symptoms of RVF?
WHO has listed key features for the RVF including incubation period and symptoms. Check here:
- The incubation period (the interval from infection to onset of symptoms) for RVF varies from 2 to 6 days.
- Those infected either experience no detectable symptoms or develop a mild form of the disease characterized by a feverish syndrome with sudden onset of flu-like fever, muscle pain, joint pain and headache. Some patients develop neck stiffness, sensitivity to light, loss of appetite and vomiting; in these patients the disease, in its early stages, may be mistaken for meningitis.
- The symptoms of RVF usually last from 4 to 7 days, after which time the immune response becomes detectable with the appearance of antibodies and the virus disappears from the blood.
