Rabies epidemic alert in KZN

400% increase sparks urgent vaccination campaign

AMASSIVE campaign is to be launched to vaccinate animals against rabies as the killer disease reaches epidemic proportions in KwaZulu-Natal.

This follows four deaths in the past two months and a 400% increase in dog infection, Kevin le Roux, rabies project manager for the KZNl Veterinary Services told The Independent on Saturday.

“We are in a particularly aggressive outbreak right now,” he said, adding that in the next few weeks, 20 vehicles and 200 people should be mobilised in a campaign to cover the province, especially coastal areas.

In the meantime, smaller mopping-up campaigns are in progress.

Le Roux said that since efforts to “get on top”of rabies successfully in 2014 had borne fruit, complacency had set in and fewer people had been taking their pets to be vaccinated.

“The number of vaccines given out has decreased since 2014,” he said.

This had also led to reduced budget allocation for vaccine, which has since been addressed to make the coming campaign possible.

He said a rabies crisis existed “from Jozini all the way to Ugu” and singled out areas in the eThekwini Municipality, saying it had spread “from Inanda to KwaMashu and is now in uMlazi”.

He said that in inland areas, a smaller cycle of rabies was in motion, involving wild jackal populations.

As far as dogs were concerned, rabies was a “time bomb” that could incubate for up to a year in the animals.

Le Roux said that people should get their animals jabbed at least every three years, as is required by law, and also remember never to touch a strange animal, especially one that appears sick.

“That is often how children are bitten.”

However, if they receive treatment within 24 to 48 hours the vaccinations should be effective. “Ignorance kills people,” Le Roux said.

The most recent death occurred at a settlement outside Vryheid where a man had been bitten by his own dog but did not receive treatment.

Others included a 13-yearold from Nseleni, near Richards Bay, after contact with a dog and a 6-year-old from Hillcrest after contact with a cat.

The fourth case involved a 5-year-old boy who was bitten by a dog on his way to school in KwaMashu.

“It was never reported but his friends confirmed what happened afterwards.”

In February, two women were treated after they were attacked while trying to help a dog in Gillitts.

There have also been fatalities this year in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, according to reports.