Medication
There are no FDA-approved treatments for Rift Valley Fever. Because most cases of RVF are mild and self-limiting, a specific treatment for RVF has not been established. Symptoms of mild illness such as fever and body aches can be managed with standard over-the-counter medications.
Self-care
Antifungal medication is typically given to people who are at higher risk for developing severe Valley fever. The treatment is usually 3 to 6 months of fluconazole or another type of antifungal medication. ... There are no over-the-counter medications to treat Valley fever.
Nutrition
Antifungals control the fungus, but sometimes don't destroy it, and relapses may occur. For many people, a single bout of valley fever results in lifelong immunity. But the disease can be reactivated, or you can be reinfected if your immune system is significantly weakened.
What are the treatment options for Rift Valley fever?
Valley fever 1 Diagnosis. Valley fever is difficult to diagnose solely on the basis of signs and symptoms, because they're usually vague and overlap with symptoms that occur in other illnesses. 2 Treatment. Most people with acute valley fever don't require treatment. ... 3 Clinical trials. ... 4 Preparing for your appointment. ...
What is the best over the counter medication for Valley fever?
Can Valley fever be cured with antifungals?
How to get diagnosed with Valley fever?
How can a farmer prevent Rift Valley Fever?
Preventive vaccination This is the most effective means to control RVF. Early warning of high-risk periods for the disease is possible and this information should drive strategic vaccination campaigns. The most effective vaccine is the modified live Smithburn neurotropic strain (SNS).
Is there a vaccine for Rift Valley Fever?
Rift Valley Fever Vaccines An inactivated vaccine has been developed for human use, but it is not licensed and or commercially available. It has been used experimentally to protect veterinary and laboratory personnel at high risk of exposure to RVF.
What part of the body does Rift Valley Fever affect?
The most common complication associated with RVF is inflammation of the retina (a structure connecting the nerves of the eye to the brain). As a result, approximately 1% - 10% of affected patients may have permanent vision loss.
How are most people infected with Rift Valley Fever virus?
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease most commonly seen in domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels. People can get RVF through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, or through bites from infected mosquitoes.
How is Rift Valley fever transmitted?
People usually get Rift Valley fever through contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals, mainly livestock such as cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, and camels.
Can you vaccinate pregnant ewes for Rift Valley Fever?
Only dead/inactivated ('Rift Valley Fever Inactivated' from OBP) vaccine must be used on pregnant animals.
Is there a cure for Rift Valley fever?
There are no FDA-approved treatments for Rift Valley Fever. Because most cases of RVF are mild and self-limiting, a specific treatment for RVF has not been established. Symptoms of mild illness such as fever and body aches can be managed with standard over-the-counter medications.
What is the best treatment for someone with severe RVF?
Treatment and vaccines As most human cases of RVF are relatively mild and of short duration, no specific treatment is required for these patients. For the more severe cases, the predominant treatment is general supportive therapy. An inactivated vaccine has been developed for human use.
How do you test for Rift Valley fever?
Definitive diagnosis of RVF requires laboratory testing of blood or other tissue samples. The virus can be detected in the blood (during illness) and in postmortem tissue by virus isolation in cell culture and by molecular techniques (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, or RT-PCR).
Can Valley fever spread from person to person?
People can get Valley fever by breathing in the microscopic fungus from the air in these areas. Valley fever does not spread from person to person.
What are the symptoms of Rift Valley fever?
Patients who become ill usually experience fever, generalized weakness, back pain, dizziness, and extreme weight loss at the onset of the illness. Typically, patients recover within two days to one week after onset of illness. symptoms along with blurred and decreased vision.
What mosquitoes carry Rift Valley fever?
Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus that causes severe disease in ruminants and humans1. The virus is transmitted via mosquitoes, predominantly of the genera Aedes and Culex2. Sheep are the most susceptible species, with disease being most severe in young lambs.
Supportive Treatments For Sick Dogs
Other treatments for Valley Fever are mainly directed at supportive care: making your dog feel better while the antifungal medication starts to hea...
What Is The Best Treatment For Valley Fever?
Treatment choices vary by the individual veterinarian and patient. Reasons for choice of medication include practitioner's experience with the drug...
What Is The Proper Dose of Valley Fever medications?
Your veterinarian is skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of your pet's illness. Should you feel that your dog is not responding or may have side...
What Are The Side Effects of Oral Valley Fever Drugs (Ketoconazole, Itraconazole, and Fluconazole) in Dogs?
All Valley Fever medications have the potential to cause side effects in dogs. 1. Loss of appetite is the most common and may be severe in some dog...
What Happened to The Price of Generic Fluconazole & What Can I Do About It?
In 2013, most of the manufacturers of generic fluconazole stopped making it. There are only a few manufacturers left, which has driven the price up...
What to do if you have Valley Fever?
If you have Valley fever, you should talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need treatment. The healthcare provider who diagnoses you with Valley fever may suggest that you see other healthcare providers who specialize in treating Valley fever. People who have severe lung infections or infections that have spread to other parts ...
How long does it take to get rid of a lung infection?
For these types of infections, the course of treatment is usually longer than 6 months.
Why do you need antifungal medicine?
Antifungal medication is typically given to people who are at higher risk for developing severe Valley fever.
Is Valley Fever contagious?
Valley fever isn’t contagious, so you don’t need to stay at home to avoid spreading the infection to other people. However, your healthcare provider may recommend that you rest at home to help your body fight off the infection.
Can you recover from Valley Fever?
Most people who have Valley fever will make a full recovery. A small percent of people develop long-term lung infections that can take several years to get better. In very severe cases of Valley fever, the nervous system can be affected and there may be long-term damage, but this is very rare.
Can you get Valley Fever if you don't treat it?
Valley fever that develops into meningitis is fatal if it’s not treated, so lifelong antifungal treatment is necessary for those cases. If you are a healthcare provider, click here for more information about treatment.
What to do if you have valley fever?
Make an appointment with your doctor if you develop signs or symptoms of valley fever and are in or have recently returned from a region where this condition is common.
How to diagnose valley fever?
To diagnose valley fever, doctors may order one or more of the following tests: 1 Sputum smear or culture. These tests check a sample of the matter that's discharged while coughing (sputum) for the presence of coccidioides organisms. 2 Blood tests. Through a blood test, your doctor can check for antibodies against the fungus that causes valley fever.
What is the best medicine for fungus?
If symptoms don't improve or become worse, or you're at increased risk of complications, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal medication, such as fluconazole. Antifungal medications are also used for people with chronic or disseminated disease.
What tests can be done to check for valley fever?
Sputum smear or culture. These tests check a sample of the matter that's discharged while coughing (sputum) for the presence of coccidioides organisms. Blood tests. Through a blood test, your doctor can check for antibodies against the fungus that causes valley fever.
Can you get valley fever without treatment?
Most people with acute valley fever don't require treatment. Even when symptoms are severe, the best therapy for otherwise healthy adults is often bed rest and fluid intake. Still, doctors carefully monitor people with valley fever.
Can valley fever be reactivated?
But the disease can be reactivated, or you can be reinfected if your immune system is significantly weakened.
How to prevent RVF?
People living in or visiting areas with RVF can prevent infection with these steps: 1 Avoid contact with blood, body fluids, or tissues of infected animals. People working with animals in RVF-endemic areas should wear appropriate protective equipment (such as gloves, boots, long sleeves, and a face shield) to avoid any exposure to blood or tissues of animals that may potentially be infected. 2 Avoid unsafe animal products. All animal products (including meat, milk, and blood) should be thoroughly cooked before eating or drinking. 3 Protect yourself against mosquitoes and other bloodsucking insects. Use insect repellents and bed nets, and wear long sleeved shirts and long pants to cover exposed skin.
What is RVF surveillance?
Surveillance (close monitoring for RVF infection in animal and human populations) is essential to learning more about how RVF virus infection is spread and to formulating effective prevention measures.
How to protect yourself from bloodsucking insects?
Protect yourself against mosquitoes and other bloodsucking insects. Use insect repellents and bed nets, and wear long sleeved shirts and long pants to cover exposed skin. No vaccines are currently available for vaccination in people. A number of questions and challenges remain in the control and prevention of RVF.
What is the best treatment for Valley Fever?
Oral antifungal medication in the form of twice daily pills or capsules is the usual treatment for Valley Fever.
What is the name of the drug that is used to treat Valley Fever?
More recently introduced to the market for treatment of fungal disease in humans: Voriconazole (Vfend) Posaconazole (Noxafil) The role of these drugs in treating human Valley Fever is not yet clear. Voriconazole has absorption and treatment characteristics similar to fluconazole, but is more potent in laboratory studies.
How to help a dog when he is ill?
The more ill your dog, the more important it is to discuss this issue with your vet. Meet the nutritional needs of your dog with high quality, palatable food.
What to do if my dog is not responding to a med?
Should you feel that your dog is not responding or may have side effects to the medicine, you should first discuss your concerns with your veterinarian. If the results are not satisfactory, you can seek a second opinion.
Can terbinafine be used on dogs?
Added to one of the common Valley Fever medications, may improve the response to treatment for dogs that are not getting well on their medication. There are no actual studies of this drug in dogs, but in the laboratory it can kill Valley Fever fungus growing in culture, and dogs are able to absorb the drug with good blood levels. Observations suggest about half of dogs that are responding inadequately to a single drug will improve with the addition of terbinafine. Side effects are low but could include increases in liver enzymes and intestinal upset.
Is Valley Fever a good medicine for dogs?
Has a higher incidence of stomach and intestinal upset than fluconazole. Is a good Valley Fever drug in cases where it is making the dog well. Makes male dogs infertile while they are taking the medicine, this is also reversible when the medication is stopped.
What is Rift Valley fever?
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease most commonly seen in domesticated animals in sub-Saharan Africa, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and camels.
Can RVF cause a fever?
Although RVF often causes severe illness in animals, most people with RVF have either no symptoms or a mild illness with fever, weakness, back pain, and dizziness . However, a small percentage (8-10%) of people with RVF develop much more severe symptoms, including eye disease, hemorrhage (excessive bleeding), and encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
What is Rift Valley fever?
Rift Valley fever (RVF) may not be a familiar name, but it is a viral disease you should know about if you deal with domestic animals. RVF is an acute, fever-causing viral disease commonly noticed in domesticated animals (such as buffalo, goats, cattle, sheep, and camels), with the ability to both infect and cause illness in humans.
How to reduce the chances of getting infected by the virus?
A person’s chances of getting infected by the virus can be reduced by taking measures to lessen contact with body fluids, tissues, or blood of infected animals and protecting themselves against mosquito bites and other bloodsucking bugs . The use of mosquito bednets and repellents are two useful methods.
How does RVF virus spread?
The RVF virus can be transferred from female mosquitos to their young through the eggs (this is known as vertical transmission). In the mosquito eggs, the virus stays viable (infectious) for many years during hot and dry conditions. Excessive rainfall helps more mosquito eggs to hatch.
How long does it take for RVF to show symptoms?
Signs and symptoms. The RVF virus has a 2-6 days incubation period following infection and can lead to several disease syndromes. People with RVF most commonly either suffer no symptoms or have a mild illness associated with a fever and liver problems.
Why is RVFV more likely to spread to animals?
As the population of mosquitos increases, there will also be an increase in the potential for the virus to spread to the people and animals. RVFV outbreaks in animals, most especially livestock, cause increased handling of sick animals, which then causes a higher risk of exposure to the virus for handlers.
What are the consequences of RVF?
RVF outbreaks can have significant societal consequences, including a massive reduction in trade and economic losses. The virus mostly affects livestock, leading to disease and abortion in domesticated animals, which is a vital source of income for many.
Where is RVF found?
RVF is an illness that may occur anywhere, but it is generally found in regions of southern and eastern Africa where sheep and cattle are rared. Also, the virus exists in most parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar and West Africa. The first case of the Rift Valley fever outbreak identified outside Africa happened in September 2000 in ...
How Do You Get Rift Valley Fever?
The main cause of rift valley virus in humans is the bite of mosquitoes infected with rift valley fever. Some other insects that have virus-contaminated mouthparts are also known to cause rift valley fever infection in humans.
How to Cope with Rift Valley Fever?
If you suspect that you are infected with rift valley fever, you need to see your doctor immediately for proper diagnoses of the condition for better coping. There are many other medical conditions that share some common symptoms with rift valley fever.