Rift Valley Fever at the Crossroads of Ecology Mobility and Fragmented Health Governance.

Rift Valley fever (RVF) remains one of the most recognisable yet persistently elusive zoonotic diseases in Africa, despite decades of scientific advances in virology, epidemiology, and early warning. While RVF dynamics are well characterised in eco-epidemiological terms, its continued emergence, amplification, and persistence suggest that biological complexity alone does not fully explain ongoing transmission patterns. This review adopts a socio-ecological One Health systems perspective to examine how interactions between eco-epidemiological processes, livestock mobility, and health governance structures shape RVF risk. Drawing on an integrative synthesis of interdisciplinary literature, it conceptualises RVF dynamics as arising from three interconnected domains: biological risk generation, spatial redistribution through mobility and trade systems, and institutional response through governance architectures. The analysis highlights a fundamental misalignment across these domains. Ecological signals and animal health indicators often precede outbreaks but are not translated into timely action; livestock mobility redistributes risk across regions beyond the reach of nationally bounded response systems; and governance arrangements remain fragmented, with no single institution holding end-to-end responsibility. As a result, RVF response remains largely reactive and case-triggered despite the availability of predictive tools and preventive interventions. Addressing this persistent gap requires a shift from reactive, case-chasing response toward anticipatory, integrated governance that aligns ecological intelligence, mobility-informed risk management, and coordinated cross-sectoral action. Viewing RVF through this systems lens underscores that its persistence reflects less a failure of knowledge than a failure of alignment between the systems through which risk is generated, redistributed, and governed.