Rabies outbreak warning to beachgoers along the Cape coast

The number of Cape fur seals that have tested positive for rabies along the Cape coast has increased since the first case was recorded earlier this year. Rabies is fatal to all mammals, including humans.

Agricultural research centre warns beachgoers

The state veterinarian at the Elsenburg Agricultural Research Centre in Stellenbosch, Dr Lesley van Helden, said people visiting beaches along the Cape coast should be careful of Cape fur seals amid the outbreak of rabies, as reported by RSG.

Increase in Cape fur seals with rabies

The number of Cape fur seals that have tested positive along the Cape coast has increased significantly since earlier this year when authorities confirmed the first case.

The population of Cape fur seals ranges between 1,7 and 2,1 million. It spans an approximately 2 800km-long coastline from southern Angola to Plettenberg Bay – a vast stretch of land often inaccessible to researchers, according to Daily Maverick.

The Western Cape government’s Veterinary Services suggest that people should consider rabies endemic in the seal population, meaning the disease is now a regular occurrence in their normal environment. Dr van Helden agrees and said that a long-term management plan is necessary.

How dangerous is rabies for humans?

Rabies is a serious disease that is primarily spread through dog bites. It kills approximately 60 000 people worldwide each year. Direct contact between infected animals transmits the disease. Markedly, rabies is fatal to all mammals, including humans.

The virus moves along the nerves to the brain. It takes anywhere between a week and a year to reach the brain. Once that happens, symptoms of the disease start to show and the affected person dies. There is no treatment for rabies, only prevention.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), early symptoms of a rabies infection can include a fever with pain and unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking, or a burning sensation (paraesthesia) at the wound site. In later stages, the virus spreads to the central nervous system, causing fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

For more information and answers to possible questions you may have about rabies, click here.

Were you aware of the rabies outbreak among Cape fur seals?

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