Rabies warning: High-risk areas identified for increased vigilance

The department of agriculture, land reform and rural development is warning against rabies in high-risk areas in the country this festive season.

Departmental spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo warned rabies was fatal once a person or animal showed clinical signs.

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“Rabies is particularly common in the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, as well as the border between Free State and Lesotho.

“The coastal areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape are a particular high risk for rabies. The public is advised not to approach, touch or pick up stray dogs and cats from these areas.”

Warning

Ngcobo said rabies could occur anywhere in South Africa and warned against handling unfamiliar animals.

“Rabies is a zoonotic disease, which means people can become infected by an infected animal. The rabies virus is transmitted through the saliva of an infected animal when it bites, scratches or licks a person.

“Rabies affects the brain and is fatal once a person or animal shows clinical signs,” he added.

Animals infected by rabies show changes in behaviour and neurological symptoms.

“They may drool a lot, become paralysed or unable to swallow, continuously vocalise (barking, whining, howling) and become aggressive,” Ngcobo said.

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“On the contrary, they may just appear weak and unresponsive. Any mammal can become infected with rabies, but the biggest threat to human health is infected dogs and cats.”

Ngcobo said in animals and humans, the disease affects the brain and once clinical signs become visible.

“There is no curative treatment and it is 100% fatal. If you suspect that you have been exposed to an animal that may have rabies, it is critically important to wash the wound very well with soap under running water and to immediately seek preventative treatment at your nearest healthcare facility,” he said.

Three rabies cases

Dr Leon Odendaal, a general practitioner in Johannesburg, said he has treated three patients for high-risk exposure to rabies.

“There was a female attacked viciously by her pet cat, another female attacked at Sun City by a monkey and a boy who was attacked by a stray dog,” he said.

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Odendaal said in the cases he had seen, the animals that attacked the person were likely to be sick and could carry the disease.

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases of South Africa (NICD) reported that as of 20 September, there had been eight confirmed human rabies cases in South Africa. Four were identified in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, three in Eastern Cape and one in Limpopo.

The NICD said South Africa reported an average of 13 cases a year for the period 1983-2022, 70% of which were in children under the age of 16 years.

From January 2019 until September this year, 77 cases of human rabies – including 58 laboratory-confirmed and 19 probable cases – were reported in the country.

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According to the World Health Organisation, rabies is classified as endemic on several continents. It says rabies is estimated to claim the lives of 60 000 people worldwide each year, most of whom are children.

– marizkac@citizen.co.za