AGRICULTURAL NEWS - According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN DARD), there was a recent increase in rabies in the province.
A department press release stated that the increase in reported cases had been detected along the coastal belt, affecting the South Coast, Durban, and the iLembe and King Cetshwayo districts, including eMpangeni and Richards Bay.
“We have two cases reported of children [with] dog and cat bites. These two cases have resulted in [death],” the release said.
According to Dr Faffa Malan, managing director of the Ruminant Veterinary Association of South Africa, any infected animal that bites could transmit the virus to other animals or people.
He added that rabies could not be transmitted through the consumption of livestock or game infected with rabies, as the disease was only transmitted through sputum.
