There has been a troubling uptick in rabies cases across KwaZulu-Natal, one of the deadliest infectious diseases known to man, and some of it could be attributed to crime. In the past two years at least nine people have died of rabies in the province and in most cases man's best friend might be the cause.
Experts report at least 30 confirmed cases in the past two and a half months, with concerns that the actual number may be higher. Yesterday, the Kloof and Highway SPCA said it was aware of four confirmed cases in their area, with four more results pending.
Barbara Patrick, the manager of the Kloof and Highway SPCA, urged pet owners to vaccinate their dogs and ensure they are protected.
“I can speak for our area up here, which is from the N3 in Westville up to Camperdown, and we've had a number of cases this year already. So, there’s certainly been a bit of a spike. I don't know what we could attribute that to, but it's not just those stray animals running around in the rural areas. I'm talking about Kloof, New Germany, Pinetown, areas like that,” she said. “We've also had a number of dogs that have come into contact with people, which is a concern because people have had to go for treatment.”
Patrick said there was usually a good response when they or the state held vaccination drives, but more needed to be done. She proposed that stricter regulations should be implemented to ensure compliance, suggesting that it should become a bylaw for dog owners in KwaZulu-Natal to vaccinate their pets in light of the increasing severity of rabies cases.
“If someone doesn’t vaccinate their dog against rabies, there are no consequences. This needs to change,” she added.
Rabies is a vaccine-preventable, zoonotic viral disease affecting the central nervous system.
Last September, the eThekwini Municipality called on residents to vaccinate their pets, particularly cats and dogs, following the death of a three-year-old child who was in contact with a dog suspected of having rabies. The dog became aggressive and was put down by its owner.
The World Health Organization says that globally, at least 59 000 people die of rabies every year. In up to 99% of human rabies cases, dogs are responsible for virus transmission, and children between the ages of 5 and 14 are frequently the victims. “Rabies infects mammals, including dogs, cats, livestock and wildlife. It spreads to people and animals via saliva, usually through bites and scratches. Once clinical symptoms appear, rabies is virtually 100% fatal,” the WHO said.
Kevin Le Roux heads the Department of Agriculture’s Rabies Unit in KwaZulu-Natal and also serves as the Chairman of the National Advisory Group. He says that since 2021, there’s been a dramatic decline in the number of infections in the province.
According to the latest figures, 34 animals have been infected with rabies since January, he says.
In 2024, there were 97 infected animals and three humans; in 2023, there were 216 animals and six humans infected in KZN.
“We've halved it almost twice in the last two years. Durban has, for quite a few years, been the biggest focus of the disease because there's four million people in Durban, so the numbers that come out of there are high. The inland areas of KwaZulu-Natal are generally not a big issue; it's mostly a coastal disease.”
But Le Roux says that while eThekwini might have the highest numbers, if the cases were calculated according to the population size, then uCetshwayo, Ugu, and uMgungundlovu would show large numbers of the disease. However, this is not always visible because these areas are rural, making it difficult to access samples, information, and vaccinations. “So rural areas can actually, and often do, serve as the source areas for the disease,” he said.
“And it really has been about resources. The Department of Agriculture was battling to get vaccinations done, especially because of hijackings, which have been limiting our ability to get into most of the areas. “So a hijacker can say, ‘There’s a bunch of staff coming in here to vaccinate dogs, and they’ve all got vehicles. Let's wait for them and take the vehicle.
“There are also limited staff numbers; we don't have full capacity from a business perspective. But over the last few years, things have improved dramatically.” ”
Le Roux says that South Africa has a countrywide strategy to eliminate rabies by 2030, in line with global targets.
“We want to stop all human deaths from dog bites because 99% of all human deaths occur due to dog rabies.”
While dogs are the main source of rabies in KZN, in the Western Cape, it's seal rabies, and in the northwest, it's jackal rabies. However, the areas of South Africa where dog rabies is prevalent, and where people die from the disease, are the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo.
Le Roux says that in the private sector which includes SPCAs, about 200,000 vaccinations are done annually, while the government vaccinates between 200,000 and 600,000 animals a year.
“Human death from rabies is preventable. It's the most horrific death. It's the original horror story, if you can put it that way. I think a lot of the vampires and werewolves, all of those horror stories that we have, originated from rabies because of the way people suffer when they die from the disease. It's a horrific thing to see.”
The Rabies Alliance says the symptoms in humans and animals are similar. It includes flu symptoms as well as delusions, paralysis, seizures, hydrophobia and foaming at the mouth.