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State veterinarians will descend upon Ga-Rankuwa to give free rabies vaccinations to pets this weekend following a reported threat of rabies, reports Pretoria North Rekord.
The Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development warned of a risk of rabies in Ga-Rankuwa Zone 1 after a dog was diagnosed with rabies by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute Rabies laboratory recently.
The vets will be at SAB Community Park, in Zone 1 Ga-Rankuwa, to help dog and cats owners with vaccinations.
ALSO READ: Free rabies vaccination campaign taking place in KZN
State veterinarian Dr Adri Grobler said the dog had been bitten by a stray dog in the area.
“Many cases have also been reported in the Northern townships of Pretoria, and around the townships situated on the North West and Gauteng border.”
Grobler said rabies affected the brain and could lead to the death of the infected person or animal.
“Symptoms vary widely and include: behavioural changes, aggressiveness, and paralysis,” she said.
Symptoms can occur from 7 days to 6 months after exposure.
The virus occurs in great numbers in the saliva of the infected animal.
The department of agriculture and rural development re-emphasised the following:
There is no cost to the pet owner for this service.
All dogs and cats over the age of three months that have not been vaccinated for rabies this year must be vaccinated.
The public can choose to have the vaccine administered by their private veterinarian or by the state.
She said the presence of rabies in an area must always be considered as extremely serious.
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