As a result of climatic and anthropogenic changes and of intensifying human and animal mobility, many ecosystems in West Africa and in the Maghreb are increasingly at risk of acquiring, supporting and then 'exporting'; a number of pathogens which are a serious threat to public health in the South of Europe. Making the link between two continents, EDEN-AFR will also significantly contribute to developing scientific exchanges, cooperation and training links between the European research community and the National Institutions involved in the study of emerging diseases.

The objectives are to identify environmental changes associated with documented Rift Valley Fever and West Nile Fever outbreaks in endemic areas (Senegal for RVF and WNV, Morocco for WNV), to document the roles of local vectors, reservoirs and hosts and their capacity to transport these viruses outside some endemic areas (Senegal river delta, Djoud'j Park). The project will qualify and quantify the routes of hosts (livestock for RVF) and reservoirs (avifauna for WNV) from these areas to provide indicators and scenarios of risks for spreading of the virus from West Africa to Europe.