DAKAR (Reuters) -Senegal has recorded 17 deaths from Rift Valley Fever (RVF), a health ministry official said on Thursday, apparently the deadliest outbreak in decades.

The 119 cases were concentrated in northern Senegal, a major livestock-producing region, heightening concern about further spread, said Dr Boly Diop, the ministry’s head of RVF surveillance.

RVF, a viral disease that primarily affects livestock, is largely spread to animals via mosquitoes, according to the World Health Organization, which says no human-to-human transmission has been documented.

Humans typically become infected through mosquito bites or contact with blood, body fluids or tissues of infected animals, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

RVF has been endemic in northern Seneg

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