$6.2 Million Grant Funds mRNA Rift Valley Fever Vaccine Research

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) today announced that Afrigen Biologics aims to develop the first-ever mRNA-based vaccine against Rift Valley fever, supported by a new $6.2 million grant.

Confirmed on January 20, 2025, the researchers will work with the International Vaccine Institute to progress the new vaccine candidate through preclinical development and into Phase I clinical testing in people in either South Africa or another outbreak-affected country on the continent.

If clinical trials are successful, this vaccine could offer a critical new, locally produced tool to help combat this potentially deadly illness, which poses significant risks to human health and livestock.

Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, commented in a press release, “This new research will further strengthen the continent’s future preparedness and response capabilities, thereby enhancing Africa’s vaccine sovereignty and health security.”

First identified in Kenya’s Rift Valley in the 1930s, Rift Valley fever usually occurs in people following direct contact with infected animals, like sheep, goats, and cattle, or bites from infected mosquitoes, says the U.S. CDC.

The disease has also expanded in range in recent years with outbreaks in the Middle East and Indian Ocean islands, hence the need for new Rift Valley fever (RVF) vaccines.

Fortunately, a case of RVF virus spreading from person to person has never been reported.

While the majority of people infected experience mild disease, around 1-2% of those infected can develop the severe hemorrhagic form, which can cause blindness, convulsions, encephalitis, and bleeding and has mortality rates of around 50%. 

Although vaccines against RVF have been registered for animals, no vaccines are available or licensed for human use. Therefore, the World Health Organization and the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention recognize it as a priority target disease. 

As of January 4, 2025, the CDC did not report any Rift Valley fever cases in 2024 or 2025.