Abstract
We detected Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) IgM and IgG in human serum samples collected during 2018–2019 in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Our results show recent RVFV circulation and likely RVFV endemicity in this tropical coastal plain region of South Africa in the absence of apparent clinical disease.
Highlights
We detected Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) IgM and IgG in human serum samples collected during 2018–2019 in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa
Our serosurvey confirms recent exposure and indicates endemic circulation of RVFV in humans residing in the tropical coastal plain of northern KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa
The RVFV seropositivity we noted in our study is lower than that reported in the temperate inland of South Africa [15]
Summary
Of 1,395 volunteers tested, 39 tested RVFV positive by inhibition ELISA, of which 11 were positive for RVFV IgM and 9 for RVFV IgG (Table 1). RVFV seropositivity was higher among groups >10 years of age compared with those 5–9 years old (p = 0.001) but was not significantly associated with sex (p = 0.481), spending time outdoors (p = 0.263), or working in agriculture (p = 0.161). None of the 11 IgM seropositive persons tested positive by RVFV rRT-PCR; 6 had fever at clinical examination at the healthcare facility. Of 11 IgM seropositive participants, 7 were seen in the Ndumo clinic, located in the northern section of the Jozini municipality and at the southern edge of Ndumo Game reserve and adjacent Tembe Elephant Park, part of the Lubombo Transfrontier Conservation and Resource area with Mozambique
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