Rabies scare in Windhoek subsides

THE chance of a mass outbreak of rabies in Windhoek seems to have faded after a massive vaccination campaign by the State Veterinary Service.This comes after a rabies scare in October, in which 57 cases of the disease were confirmed.

The disease is deadly for animals and people, and incurable once symptoms start to set in. Yesterday the Windhoek Veterinary Clinic confirmed that it has had no cases of rabies since the vaccination campaign.But Simone Mettler, veterinarian at the SPCA, said one rabid dog was brought to the SPCA two days ago.”If you had called yesterday, I would have said that we have had no new outbreaks”, she said.She added that the spread of the disease has “slowed down much quicker than I anticipated, but it is not nothing yet”.Private veterinarian Dr Rainer Hassel also confirmed one new case of rabies at his clinic.”We received a rabid cat about a week ago,” he said.”Other than that, we have had no new cases”.The vaccination campaign was initiated after a meeting between the Windhoek Municipality, the SPCA and various private and State veterinarians.It came after an unusually high number of rabies cases were reported in the capital.The disease is endemic to Namibia, especially the northern and central regions.People are urged to vaccinate their pets against rabies once a year.Yesterday the Windhoek Veterinary Clinic confirmed that it has had no cases of rabies since the vaccination campaign.But Simone Mettler, veterinarian at the SPCA, said one rabid dog was brought to the SPCA two days ago.”If you had called yesterday, I would have said that we have had no new outbreaks”, she said.She added that the spread of the disease has “slowed down much quicker than I anticipated, but it is not nothing yet”.Private veterinarian Dr Rainer Hassel also confirmed one new case of rabies at his clinic.”We received a rabid cat about a week ago,” he said.”Other than that, we have had no new cases”.The vaccination campaign was initiated after a meeting between the Windhoek Municipality, the SPCA and various private and State veterinarians.It came after an unusually high number of rabies cases were reported in the capital.The disease is endemic to Namibia, especially the northern and central regions.People are urged to vaccinate their pets against rabies once a year.