Public and private sectors have urged animal owners to come forward and vaccinate their dogs to help eradicate rabies which is not only dangerous to animals but also to human life.
A campaign that saw over 19 000 dogs being vaccinated in the Eastern Cape has been hailed as a success and calls for similar initiatives are called for across the country.
Focus on rabies vax
According to Animal Health South Africa at Boehringer Ingelheim, dogs are the primary source of human rabies deaths, accounting for up to 99% of all rabies transmissions to humans.
“It is one of the key reasons for rabies vaccinations have evolved to promote more frequent vaccinations for household pets,” the statement said.
Gqeberha has seen a spike in the region with the highest incidence of both animal and human rabies cases in South Africa.
Jaisheila Keshav, head of Animal Health South Africa at Boehringer Ingelheim, said it was important to focus on the area to ensure that it does not spread to other regions.
She said it is critically important that owners take charge in ensuring that they vaccinate against rabies as early as possible to protect their animals and themselves.
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Deadly, but prevention is simple
“Rabies is almost always fatal in humans, but its prevention is remarkably simple through dog vaccinations and preventing dog bites.
“Notably, recommendations for rabies vaccinations have evolved to promote more frequent vaccinations for household pets,” she said.
Keshav acknowledges that in South Africa, many animals presumed to be strays have owners, making it challenging to vaccinate them without consent.
“To address this, the South African Veterinary Association Community Veterinary Clinics (SAVA-CVC) has adopted a unique approach, sending animal health teams door-to-door to vaccinate animals, rather than relying on centralised vaccination campaigns. This approach has proven highly effective,” she said.
According to the institution, while there have been no significant breakthroughs in rabies treatment, there have been substantial improvements in rabies surveillance.
“The Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo provinces still experience the highest number of positive rabies cases in animals, leading to the highest incidences of dog-mediated human cases,” she said.
Working together is the only solution
“In regions with elevated positive animal cases, it is strongly recommended that animals be fully vaccinated against rabies annually due to increased environmental risks and associated challenges.”
Keshav said working together is the only solution to fight the disease, urging all stakeholders to come around the table.
“The tools and solutions are readily available to safeguard our community and animals against this entirely preventable disease,” she said.
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