ACCORDING to the National Institute of Communicable diseases, rabies is a viral infection of the nervous system. The disease is reported in different wild and domestic animal species, but most cases of rabies in South Africa involve domestic dogs.
Human cases are rare in South Africa but still occur annually. These cases are mostly associated with bites and injuries by infected animals.
Untreated, this disease is fatal. The virus is, however, completely preventable by the vaccination of domestic animals. JBay Animal Rescue, St Francis Animal Rescue and Humansdorp SPCA have been working tirelessly to keep our dogs safe from the deadly virus.
Cindy Muller from JBay Animal Rescue said, “According to information distributed by a local veterinarian, in August of this year, there have been 17 confirmed cases of rabies in the Gqeberha area.
“It is therefore imperative that we get as many of our animals vaccinated as possible to prevent the disease from spreading to the Kouga,” Muller said.
On August 25, a vaccination drive was done by Jbay Animal Rescue in Loerie, where Dr Jako Langenhoven and the team were able to vaccinate 200 animals on the day.
The operation was repeated on August 28 in Thornhill, where Dr André Janse Van Vuuren headed up the operation to vaccinate another 200 animals.
“It is very important to reach out to these communities and help animal owners who would not otherwise have access to these vaccines for their pets. We also handed out food to all who came to Loerie and Thornhill to get their shots.”
The vaccines were donated by the Community Veterinary Council and administered by the vets and the teams from the rescue organisations.
On September 1, the animals in the townships around Jeffreys Bay had their turn to be vaccinated. This was done in conjunction with Oribi Vets, headed by Dr Shannon Theobald and Emma-Lisa Steyn.
JBay Animal Rescue hands out food to the pet owners in these areas every Thursday to help and support them to be the best pet-parents they can be.
All these veterinarians and their teams graciously donated their time to help communities in need to keep their pets happy and healthy. These outreaches were done with the help and support of Christa Venter, the Kouga waste and environmental management manager.
“A big thanks to all the role-players who made these outreaches possible. We do our best to help the animals from disadvantaged communities and alleviate their suffering in any way we can. Without the help and support from the local businesses, private patrons and local government, our job would be almost impossible. A big thank you to all our supporters,” concluded Muller.
- Follow JBay Animal Rescue on Facebook for more information on their vaccination drives or to make donations.
