Cape Town - As the 16th World Rabies Day will be observed globally on Wednesday, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA has urged pet owners to ensure that their pets’ vaccinations are up-to-date, including the rabies vaccination.
This year's theme: “One Health, Zero Death”, highlights the connection of the environment with both people and animals.
The World Health Organization (WHO) noted that an estimated 59 000 people die each year as a result of rabies-infected dog bites. That’s one person every nine minutes of every day, 40% of whom are children living in Asia and Africa.
In 2015, the world called for action by setting a goal of zero human dog-mediated rabies deaths by 2030 worldwide.
In South Africa, as in most parts of the world, dogs are the main vectors of rabies, which is a fatal viral disease for which there is no cure.
“Many people mistakenly think of rabid dogs as highly aggressive and frothing from the mouth, but the opposite is often the case.
“Dogs can simply look sick and behave differently; they won’t necessarily be aggressive,” said the Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s Marisol Gutierrez.
Gutierrez said it was a legal requirement in South Africa that pets be vaccinated at 12 weeks of age, and again 12 months later, and then once every one to three years.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA mobile clinics travel into many under-resourced communities to offer pet vaccinations and primary health care treatment.
View their weekly schedule here or call the SPCA on 021 700 4140.
Cape Times