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The WHO has an ambitious ‘zero by 30’ goal, which aims to eliminate human deaths from dog-mediated rabies by 2030,1 with South Africa a subscriber to this. Rabies continues to pose a significant public health challenge in South Africa, predominantly maintained through domestic dogs as the primary reservoir for human infections. The disease remains endemic in the Southern African sub-region, affecting both domestic and wild animals. Historically, the highest incidence of rabies cases has been reported in rural provinces such as KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In 2023, South Africa reported 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of human rabies, underscoring the persistent threat posed by the virus. Alarmingly, the first quarter of 2024 has already seen three confirmed cases of dog-mediated human rabies.2

The coastal Western Cape province has also been grappling with sporadic outbreaks of rabies. In August 2021, two cases of dog rabies were confirmed in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. Recently, on 31 May 2024, a domestic dog from Capri in the South Peninsula of Cape Town exhibited aggressive behaviour and fever, leading to its euthanasia and subsequent confirmation of rabies through biopsy. This incident highlighted the absence of recent travel history outside the province, suggesting localized transmission within the Western Cape. Moreover, in June 2024, a wild Cape Fur Seal from Bloubergstrand tested positive for rabies. This prompted the examination of stored samples of seal brains which confirmed positive rabies cases in seals found at seven different sites spread all around the Western Cape coast.3

Issue Section:
RAPID COMMUNICATION
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