Netcare Travel Clinics and Medicross have released a statement confirming that the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported five confirmed cases of rabies in humans in South Africa to date for this year: three are from the Eastern Cape province and two from Limpopo province.
The new cases have led to the deaths of two children. Commenting on the fatalities, Dr Pete Vincent of Netcare Travel Clinics and Medicross Tokai said it is important to educate South Africans about rabies which is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease but is fatal if it is not managed and treated.
He said, “If you consider that, according to the World Health Organisation [WHO], rabies is still responsible for close on 60 000 deaths globally every year, most of them occurring in Africa and Asia, then our track record of rabies prevention here in South Africa looks relatively impressive.”
However, Vincent has cautioned the threat of rabies which is contracted by animals is still high, “It is ever-present, particularly in our rural areas where many pet dogs are not vaccinated against the virus. In addition, rabies is quite commonly reported among both wild and domestic animals in South Africa.”
Awareness is important towards protecting people from contracting rabies. Vincent said a post-exposure prophylaxis vaccine and treatment is available to prevent the disease, it has to be administered appropriately and as soon as possible after exposure to rabies to be effective – within 24 hours.
The biggest misconceptions are that people do not know that there is a possibility to contract rabies when the saliva from an infected animal comes into contact with an open wound or mucous membrane, Vincent added.
Animals infected with the disease do not necessarily become aggressive, “In fact, there are two different strains of the virus, which can cause quite different symptoms, with some rabid animals becoming very docile rather than aggressive.”
Families should vaccinate their dogs. Vincent recommended avoiding infection – try to not to be bitten by animals or coming into contact with animals that may be infected.
Know what to do in order to prevent rabies after a bite and make sure that you are able to access a medical centre where post-exposure prophylaxis is available.
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