Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024 - PubMed (original) (raw)

doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.126860. Epub 2025 Mar 18.

Carolin Vegvari 2, Alemseged Abdissa 3, Yewande Alimi 4, Assaf Anyamba 5, Jochen Auerbach 2, Bernard Bett 6, Brian H Bird 7, Ndeye Sakha Bob 8, J Gabrielle Breugelmans 2, Jessica Clark 9, Sarah Cleaveland 9, Jakob Cramer 2, Jeanette Dawa 10, Petra C Fay 11, Pierre Formenty 12, Volker Gerdts 13, Keli N Gerken 14, John Gitonga 15, Martin Groschup 16, James Heighway 2, Sherry Ama Mawuko Johnson 17, John Juma 6, Rebekah C Kading 18, Maureen Kamau 19, Samuel Kerama 20, Baratang Alison Lubisi 21, Julius Lutwama 22, Dick Luyimbazi 23, Dadi Marami 24, Sean M Moore 25, Mathew Muturi 26, Grace Mwangoka 27, Angela Ndiu 28, M Kariuki Njenga 28, Richard Njouom 29, Luke Nyakarahuka 30, Serge Nzietchueng 31, Paul Oloo 2, Mark Otiende 15, Samuel Oyola 6, Lodovico Samuele Paganini 32, Pranav S Pandit 7, Carine Punt 23, Abdallah M Samy 33, Silvia Situma 28, Heidi Sneddon 2, Quirine A Ten Bosch 34, Seda Tezcan-Ulger 35, Peter N Thompson 36, Mike Tildesley 37, Bachirou Tinto 38, Juan F Vesga 39, Paul P Wichgers Schreur 40, Peter Hart 41

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Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024

Radhika Gharpure et al. Vaccine. 2025.

Abstract

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a zoonotic viral disease that causes epidemics and epizootics among humans and livestock, resulting in substantial health and socioeconomic consequences. Currently, there are no RVF vaccines licensed for humans, but several candidates show promise in early-stage development. Existing gaps in RVF epidemiological data and challenges associated with predicting RVF outbreak risk complicate the planning of efficacy studies, making the pathway to licensure for promising candidates unclear. In June 2024, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) convened a two-day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss RVF epidemiology, modeling priorities, and specific gaps relevant to human RVF vaccine development. The workshop included representatives from multiple RVF-endemic countries, key global collaborators, and international health organizations. Workshop participants identified five key priorities: (1) Looking beyond outbreaks: There is a need to better characterize the complex One Health epidemiology of RVF and understand interepidemic persistence of the virus; (2) Better data for better models: Epidemiological modeling is crucial for research, prediction, and planning, but it requires accurate and representative data; (3) New, improved and accessible diagnostics and serological assays: These are needed to inform epidemiology and case definitions, without which RVF research will continue to suffer due to paucity of data and challenges in determining infection and exposure; (4) Defining use cases, regulatory pathways, and implementation strategies for human vaccines: Clarity on these topics will facilitate licensure and effective use of RVF vaccines; and (5) People-centered approaches: Community engagement and involvement of social and behavioral scientists are key to the success of human vaccine research and development and implementation, particularly as the virus impacts livestock and livelihoods. Workshop participants welcomed a renewed focus for RVF epidemiology and modeling, and expressed enthusiasm for continued multidisciplinary collaborations to support enabling sciences for human RVF vaccine research and development.

Keywords: Research and development; Rift Valley fever; Vaccine development.

Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: R. Gharpure, C. Vegvari, J. Auerbach, J.G. Breugelmans, J. Cramer, J. Heighway, P. Oloo, and H. Sneddon and P. Hart are employees of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which currently funds four human RVF candidates. PJ. Wichgers Schreur, C. Punt and D. Luyimbazi are part of a consortium, funded by CEPI, that develops an RVF candidate vaccine, named hRVFV-4 s, for human use. B.H Bird is part of a consortium, funded by CEPI, that develops an RVF candidate vaccine, named DDVax®, for human use. No authors stand to materially or otherwise benefit from this work. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Box 1

Box 1

Key priorities identified from the workshop on Rift Valley fever (RVF) epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development.

References

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