Eastern Cape 4 year-old confirmed to have rabies

Johannesburg – South African health officials have filed the first human rabies case in 2022.

A 4-year-old child from the Eastern Cape has reportedly been confirmed to have rabies.

According to reports, the child was bitten on the lip on 1 December 2021 by a dog she was playing with and the incident took place near her home in Gqerberha.

No rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) was solicited.

It further says, a month later, the child was admitted to the hospital with fever, nausea, vomiting, headache, anorexia, sleeplessness, anxiety, confusion, delirium, seizures, agitation, localized pain/paresthesia, autonomic instability, hypersalivation, and hydrophobia.

To date, reports suggest that there have been 562 positive rabies cases in animals, and nine human deaths.

In late December 2021, the patient was hospitalized in Lusaka with spasms, fits, autonomic nervous system instability and generalized pain.
He was evacuated to South Africa, where he was hospitalized in Johannesburg in early January 2022.

During 2021, a total of 19 confirmed human rabies cases was reported from Eastern Cape (n=9), KwaZulu-Natal (n= 6) and Limpopo (n=4) provinces.

It is advised that dog owner take their pets for vaccination to curb the spread of rabies.

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