ANIMAL HEALTH IS ONE OF DRDAR’S PRIORITIES
Providing veterinary services to clients in order to ensure healthy animals, safe animal products and welfare of people of South Africa is the main objective of the veterinary services of the Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR).
The caring and skilled Vets protect humans and animals against zoonotic diseases including TB, rabies and anthrax, focusing on regulatory health by controlling diseases like red water, heart water, sheep scab and black quarter to name a few at the forefront of the
services’ offerings. DRDAR’s Animal
Health Director, Dr Cebisa Mnqeta provided detailed statistics on what the department has done in keeping the province’s herd healthy. He said in the 2017/18 financial year a total of 8 329 734 sheep were subjected to two treatments for the control of sheep scab and internal parasite to improve the quality and quantity of wool clip across all districts of the province.
“Sheep scab is easily spread between sheep and if left untreated its severity causes huge economic losses,” he said.
The department also invested towards the control of tick-borne diseases through continuous dipping that protracted into
early months of winter. A total of 3 655 575 animals were treated through plunge dipping, 521 370 with pour-on, 21410 through a spray race and 96 772 hand spray treatments were conducted.
Through its diseases monitoring program, the department identified the need to control rabies which led to
445 288 animals vaccinated. However, the Eastern Cape province has experienced an increase in the number of rabies cases. “Sadly there has been a
human fatality as a result of contact with a rabid dog. The rabies virus is present in the saliva of the infected animal and may be transmitted to humans through bites,
scratches or other wounds that break the skin and allow the infected saliva to enter the body,” Mnqeta said.
To this end, there were 46 outbreaks in Chris Hani and OR Tambo districts where animals were vaccinated accordingly and on time. Whilst death in humans can be prevented through correct immediate administration of post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), all provincial citizens are requested to join hands and assist in fighting the scourge of rabies by vaccinating all dogs and cats at no cost. The state offers free rabies vaccines at all state vet clinics of Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform (DRDAR).