Campaign to save lives against rabies

The tragedy of the death of a Moot resident’s niece due to rabies motivated her to start an awareness campaign about the deadly virus.

Werna Venter’s niece, Carlie du Plessis (6), died on July 17, 2016.

“We wanted to transform our hurt into something beautiful,” said Venter.

The vision for this year’s campaign on the day that would have been Carlie’s 14th birthday was to distribute 1 400 inoculations against rabies, 100 for every year she would have lived.

“Her father, Johann du Plessis, said shortly after her funeral that they must do something to get more information on rabies out there. He said Carlie should not have died in vain,” said Venter.

Carlie was a farmer’s child from Clocolan. Her parents have a mixed farm near this Eastern Free State town. The beloved redhead was fond of her horse, did ballet and as a tomboy was always by her father’s side on the farm.

Venter started spreading information through the Red Flag awareness campaign against rabies as a tribute gesture with Carlie’s family and other stakeholders about the deadly virus and its prevention.

The campaign was so successful that the Alliance Against Rabies in 2019 nominated the campaign for the World Rabies Day award shortlist.

In July 2016 when Carlie was admitted to hospital with influenza-like symptoms in Bloemfontein on a Sunday, her aunt had no idea she would be taking on this awareness-raising role.

Carlie passed away that same day. Her death plunged her mother Mandie, sister Milike, her father and extended family into deep mourning.

Carlie did not show any signs of the virus.

After various tests and no answers, her brain tissue was sent for further tests.

Three days after she died, the result arrived: Positive for rabies.

The family found out the virus had been in her body for a long time before it reached her brain.

The rabies virus occurs in the saliva of infected animals and spreads through the nerve fibres and not through the blood system.

One can become infected through contact with the saliva in a bite, the mucous membrane of the mouth or eye or through an open wound in the skin.

Rabies symptoms are initially easily confused with influenza symptoms.

The symptoms can later worsen to hallucinations, as your swallowing muscles go into spasm and you develop fear of water.

Without treatment death is inevitable. With correct and early diagnosis and treatment chance of survival is good.
For her family, Carlie’s rabies infection was strange.

There were no bite marks on her body and she also did not come into contact with an infected animal on the farm.

The possibility exists that a rabies-infected animal had licked a sore spot on her leg. That is why it took a while before the virus reached her brain.

“We took it upon ourselves to prevent more families are struck by this tragedy,” said Venter.

She approached Prof Louis Nel at the University of Pretoria for guidance on how to put together an awareness campaign.

He could provide her with enough material and knowledge to run a campaign and compile information sheets.

Nowadays the campaign’s information days are widely known at Bulletjie rugby and mini-netball days in the Free State.

More than 300 children participate in these tournaments. During these days, information on rabies is provided through a vet talk and spreading of pamphlets.

Venter is supported by Living Ball Ministry, which sponsors netball and rugby balls bearing Carlie’s name for the tournaments.

The campaign’s colour is mainly purple, which was Carlie’s favourite colour. She was also her family’s four seasons child (vierseisoenekind), as in Gian Groen’s song and all the seasons are represented on the balls.

For Venter, it is not just about raising awareness. Her dream is to donate inoculations on behalf of the campaign to people who cannot afford or do not have transport to take their vets to veterinary clinics. She relies on donations and sponsors for such days.

Last year on Mandela Day, the campaign took hands with GROOTfm at the Soshanguve Animal Shelter so that 50 dogs could get their rabies shots.

A message Venter regularly spreads is that you must protect your pets, yourself, your family and the community through inoculation.

She often works with a vet from Pretoria, Didi Claasen, during consulting days. Claasen forms part of ZeroBy30, a global campaign to guarantee no rabies cases by 2030.

Typically, five to 10 cases of human rabies are confirmed at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases laboratory each year. During the first quarter of 2024 (January 1 to April 30) three cases of human rabies were reported in South Africa. These cases were reported at the eThekwini and Ngqushwa municipalities.

Cape Town’s beaches were in the news last year and again this June when dead seals washed ashore. Beachgoers were warned to stay away, as five fur seals were confirmed to have rabies.

Venter believes ZeroBy30 is a feasible ideal. “We owe it to ourselves to keep our families and pets safe against this illness. With each inoculation, we are one step closer to the ZeroBy30 ideal.”

Visit the campaign’s website at www.rabieskills.co.za for social media links.

If anyone wants to contribute to this year’s inoculation goal, they can contact Venter at carlierooivlag@gmail.com.

It is law that every cat and dog be inoculated against rabies.

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