Rabid Epidemiologies: The Emergence and Resurgence of Rabies in Twentieth Century South Africa

Abstract

This article discusses the history of rabies in South Africa since the early twentieth century. It argues that rabies is a zoonotic disease that traverses rural and urban spaces, that transfers itself between wild and domestic animals and remains a potential threat to human life in the region. Scientists discovered an indigenous form of rabies, found primarily in the yellow mongoose, after the first biomedically confirmed human fatalities in 1928. Since the 1950s canine rabies, presumed to have moved southwards from across the Zambezi River, has become endemic also. South Africa is home to a comparatively large number of rabies strains and animal carriers, making it a particularly interesting case study. Environmental changes during the colonial and apartheid periods have helped to explain the increase in rabies cases since the mid-twentieth century. Moreover, developments in the biological and ecological sciences have provided insights into why the rabies virus has become endemic in certain wildlife species.

Rabies in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa - where are we going wrong?

“…The 1st confirmed diagnosis of rabies in South Africa was in 1893 following an outbreak of the disease in the Eastern Cape from an imported dog 6,40 . This outbreak was brought under control, however, and the spatial spread of rabies was then closely associated with wildlife species particularly the yellow mongoose.…”

“…This outbreak was brought under control, however, and the spatial spread of rabies was then closely associated with wildlife species particularly the yellow mongoose. By 1940, canine rabies had begun to spread south of the Zambezi River so that by 1950 it appeared in South Africa in the northern Limpopo Province, where it is still present 6,26,40 . Subsequent to the 1950 Limpopo outbreak, canine rabies spread to Mozambique from where it entered KwaZulu-Natal in 1961 25,40 .…”

4 Badger-Human Conflict: An Overlooked Historical Context for Bovine TB Debates in the UK

“…This explains why constructions of pests tend to flip between positive and negative versions, particularly when such boundaries are being contested (e.g. Hytten 2009;Potts 2009;Brown 2011;Cassidy and Mills 2012).…”

Patterns of Animal Rabies Prevalence in Northern South Africa between 1998 and 2022

“…The low vaccination coverage rate is due to inadequate resources, their inefficient allocation, and under-reporting, making it extremely difficult to establish the actual burden of the disease [ 9 ]. On the other hand, the role played by other terrestrial wildlife species such as mongooses, black-backed jackals, and bat-eared foxes as reservoirs for rabies in northern South Africa is not well understood [ 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”