Prevalence of anti-Rift-Valley-fever IgM antibody in abattoir workers in the Nile delta during the 1993 outbreak in Egypt

• Published in: Bulletin of the World Health Organization Vol. 74; no. 2; pp. 155 - 158
• Main Authors: ABU-ELYAZEED, R, EL-SHARKAWY, S, OLSON, J, BOTROS, B, SOLIMAN, A, SALIB, A, CUMMINGS, C, ARTHUR, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Genève Organisation mondiale de la santé 01.03.1996; World Health Organization
• Subjects: Abattoirs; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Animals; Antibodies, Viral - isolation & purification; Arboviroses; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Demographic aspects; Egypt - epidemiology; Female; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulin M - isolation & purification; Infectious diseases; Male; Measurement; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Occupations; Research Article; Rift Valley fever; Rift Valley Fever - epidemiology; Rift Valley Fever - immunology; Rift Valley Fever - transmission; Rift Valley fever virus - immunology; Risk Factors; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Tropical medicine; Tropical viral diseases; Viral diseases; Nile Basin; Africa; Egypt; Rift valley fever; Infectious focus; Human; Serology; Occupational exposure; Epidemiology; Infection; Viral disease; Arbovirus disease; Sanitary surveillance; Public health; Geographical variation; Slaughterhouse
• ISSN: 0042-9686

In the early summer of 1993, an outbreak of Rift Valley fever (RVF) was reported among both humans and animals in Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt. To determine whether RVF infection had spread to the Nile delta region of the country, we carried out a cross-sectional survey of 1181 occupationally exposed abattoir workers (97% male; age 10-72 years) in 15 governorates of Egypt in November 1993. The overall prevalence of anti-RVF virus IgM antibody was 2% (range: 0% (7 governorates) to 10%). The highest prevalences were in Ismailia (10%) and Sharqîya (8%) Governorates. None of the seropositive subjects reported having experienced an episode of fever in the 2 months prior to the study. The prevalence of antibody was significantly higher (P < 0.05) among workers employed in high-risk jobs such as cutting animals' throats (relative risk (RR = 2.24)) and handling animal parts (RR = 2.37). The findings suggest that abattoir workers represent a useful sentinel population for surveillance of RVF.