Durban – Thirteen laboratory-confirmed human rabies cases were recorded in South Africa in 2022.
That was according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in its January 2023 communiqué.
The NICD said there were 13 laboratory-confirmed and six probable cases of human rabies reported in 2022, a small decrease compared with the 19 laboratory-confirmed and four probable cases reported in 2021.
It said a person who has clinical signs and symptoms of rabies, with a history of contact with a suspected/probable/laboratory-confirmed rabid animal, is considered to be a probable case.
“As of January 23, 2023, there have been no human rabies cases reported in South Africa for the present year,” the NICD said.
It said that although rabies is endemic throughout South Africa, laboratory confirmation of human cases has come from six of the country’s nine provinces in the past 10 years, namely, Eastern Cape (34), KwaZulu-Natal (30), Limpopo (20), Free State (6), Mpumalanga (3), and North West (1).
“Since the total number of cases recorded, including probable cases, is 131, the number of 94 laboratory-confirmed human cases for the same time period (2013–2022) represents under-reporting of the total burden,” the NICD said.
“From 2019 to 2022, the provinces with the highest burden of human rabies cases were Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. These provinces have experienced ongoing localised outbreaks of canine and human rabies with an increase in frequency and expansion to new localities starting from 2021 onwards.”
The NICD added that through widespread dog vaccination, awareness campaigns, and early post-exposure prophylaxis following a bite or exposure to saliva from a suspected rabid animal, human rabies can be prevented. The main way that humans are exposed to rabies is through rabid dogs. You can get more details on rabies and how to prevent it at www.nicd.ac.za.
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995
Daily News