Durban — More than 2 000 dogs and cats have been vaccinated during the mass vaccination campaign put in place to fight the scourge of rabies in eThekwini. This was after the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development noted with concern the rabies cases that have been reported around eThekwini metro areas.
The eThekwini Municipality said it embarked on this campaign with the department to ensure that animals are safe from this virus.
Queen Duma, a state veterinarian in agriculture and rural development, said this was a dangerous disease, not only on animals but to people as well.
“Once the dog has the virus it does not only bite other dogs but humans as well,” she said.
Duma said it was very important that communities made a point that their dogs or cats are vaccinated.
Last week, the Daily News reported that the department’s MEC Super Zuma called on residents to take their dogs and cats to be vaccinated.
“We are making a clarion call to all dog and cat owners to make their way to our veterinary offices to vaccinate their dogs and cats to ensure suppression of rabies,” Zuma said.
He said that through the department’s preliminary investigation, they could confirm several positive cases that had been reported in areas such as Pinetown, Mpumalanga Township and Cato Ridge.
Over 26 cases were recorded in January in eThekwini Metro alone; this called for urgent intervention by the department.
Notably, other western areas, including Kloof, Hillcrest, Waterfall and Molweni have also been classified as hotspots by the department. Accordingly, they have been prioritised for mass vaccination.
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Daily News