Rift Valley Fever Vaccine Development, Progress and Constraints

The workshop Rift Valley Fever Vaccine Development, Progress and Constraints was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen University and Research Centre, under the umbrella of the Global Framework for the Progressive Control of Transboundary Animal Diseases, a joint initiative of FAO and the World Organisation for Animal Health. The workshop was supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, and by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; other participants included the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The meeting occurred January 19–21, 2011, at FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, and was attended by 34 leading scientists in Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) vaccine development, representatives of international organizations, and policy makers. Stakeholders from industry were represented by the International Federation for Animal Health. The main objective of the meeting was to gain consensus about desired characteristics of novel veterinary RVFV vaccines and to discuss how incentives can be established to ensure that these vaccines come to market.