RABIES KILLS AS VACCINATION RATES DECLINE

Fri 11 July 2025:

South Africa faces renewed rabies threat as funding cuts halt mass pet immunisations.

Rabies is quietly re-emerging across South Africa, and veterinary consultant Dr. Bryce Marock is sounding the alarm. With vaccination rates dropping and funding for awareness campaigns drying up, the virus is reclaiming ground. “Rabies is 100% fatal to human beings,” he warned. “And yet we actually hear very little about it.”

So What Exactly is Rabies?

According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It spreads from animals to humans through the saliva of infected animals, usually through bites or scratches.

In South Africa, rabies is mostly linked to domestic dogs. Other animals like cattle, jackals and sheep can also carry it. Once symptoms appear, like fever, confusion, or fear of water, it is almost always fatal.

For three years, South Africa saw a drop in human rabies deaths, largely due to mass vaccination efforts backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. “When you vaccinate dogs and you get above 50 to 60% of them vaccinated in an area, you stop seeing human deaths,” said Dr. Marock. But since that support was withdrawn, the country has been unable to sustain the same level of coverage. “We’re not getting near those numbers.”

Why Children Are Most at Risk

The virus kills quickly. It affects the brain, often presenting as neurological symptoms that make victims appear disoriented, aggressive, or even possessed. “Sometimes people don’t even report it because the symptoms are so terrible that a person actually looks bewitched,” he explained.

The statistics are alarming. “99% of the human deaths are from dog bites,” said Dr. Marock. “Most of them are children.”

This isn’t confined to remote villages. “There was a rabid dog in Linden, Johannesburg,” he said. “People surrounding that house had to provide evidence to the authorities to say, here’s evidence that my dog or cat was vaccinated.”

While dogs are the primary carriers, any mammal can be infected, including cats and even seals.

Transmission doesn’t require a bite. “It is possible to go through sores in the skin,” he said. “There have been cases where someone wasn’t even bitten… they were licked, and two or three weeks later they attempted to treat them, but it didn’t work.”

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Vaccinate, Report, Educate

In South Africa, it is illegal not to vaccinate pets against rabies. “It’s the one legal requirement that you have for cats and dogs,” Dr. Marock emphasised. The Animal Diseases Act mandates vaccination at least every three years, though in high-risk areas, annual boosters are now advised. “At the moment everybody is recommending one year because of the low overall vaccination rate.”

Pet owners are urged to act responsibly. “Number one, make sure your pets are vaccinated,” he said. “If your animals are vaccinated, they are not going to carry rabies.”

Dr. Marock also addressed a dangerous misconception: that only aggressive animals are a threat. “That’s the myth — that dogs are always aggressive when they have rabies,” he said. “Often it can be the opposite… they become human friendly.”

He recalled a case where a farmer adopted a dog that seemed tame. “The dog just licked him… and he did die.”

If you’re exposed, don’t wait. “Contact a travel clinic or the National Institute for Communicable Diseases,” he advised. “They have a hotline. They’re medical professionals. They can give very good advice.”

As rabies becomes more widespread, with confirmed cases in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, parts of Gauteng, and even West Rand, Dr. Marock’s final message is clear: “Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.”