77 human rabies cases reported in South Africa in almost five years
Durban — A day after World Rabies Day, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) revealed that in nearly five years, 77 cases of human rabies, including 58 laboratory-confirmed and 19 probable cases, were reported in South Africa.
This was contained in the NICD’s September communiqué which also provided an update on this year’s human rabies cases.
“For the year so far, as of September 20, 2023, there have been eight confirmed human rabies cases in South Africa, with cases identified in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal (4), Eastern Cape (3) and Limpopo (1),” the NICD said.
“Since August 10, 2023, to date, no new human cases have been documented in the country. South Africa reported an average of 13 cases per year (ranging from 1 to 31) for the period 1983-2022, 70% of which were in children under the age of 16 years.
“In recent years from January 2019 until September 2023 (nearly a five-year period), 77 cases of human rabies, including 58 laboratory-confirmed and 19 probable cases, were reported in South Africa. These cases were recorded in the following provinces: Eastern Cape 33), KwaZulu-Natal (30) and Limpopo (14),” the NICD said.
Speaking on World Rabies Day, the NICD said that every year on September 28, World Rabies Day is marked internationally to promote the fight against this disease and raise public awareness around prevention.
Rabies is a zoonotic disease with a near 100% fatality rate. The rabies virus is transmitted to humans mainly by dogs, but also (although very rarely) by other animal species such as cats, wildlife, and livestock.
The disease is endemic on several continents and is estimated to claim the lives of 60 000 people worldwide each year, most of whom are children. Despite being the “incurable scourge”, rabies is preventable in humans and can be controlled in animals such as domestic dogs. The latter is the most important, affordable, and effective intervention for rabies.
The NICD said that this year’s World Rabies Day theme of “All for One, One Health for All” emphasises the important link between animal and human health and shows how interventions aimed at animal health can preserve human health.
“Vaccination of domestic dogs is required by law in South Africa and is the responsibility of the pet owner. Rabies vaccination is available via different sources in South Africa, including private veterinary health care services, welfare services offered by many non-profit organisations and government veterinary services. Access to the latter two types of services is often provided through community vaccination campaigns, community clinics, etc,” the NICD added.
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