Dead seals have washed up along the coast of the South African port city of Cape Town amid a rabies outbreak in marine animals, coastal management officials told CNN on Friday.
“We believe this is the first time we’ve seen rabies spread within a marine mammal population and it’s concerning,” Cape Town coastal management officer Greg Oelofs said.
Rabies in seals is rare; the only known cases of the viral disease in seals are Detected in Svalbard, Norway In 1980.
Cape Town is Dozens of beaches More than 300 kilometers (186 miles) of coastline is home to thousands of Cape fur seals, a type of seal. Native South Africa.
Oelofse said the city had recorded “11 positive cases of rabies in seals” so far, with the last positive case being in a seal tested 10 days ago. But he urged people to remain calm, saying it was normal to find dead Cape fur seals along the coast. “A lot” of dead seals had washed up on shore this week, many of which had died of natural causes, he said.
He added that research is underway to determine how the seals contracted the disease.
“We don’t yet know where it started. We are currently sequencing the gene for the rabies virus that was found. We will know once that is done,” he said.
Western Cape Department of Health They warned residents about the risk of rabies. Last month it warned that there was a “potential rabies outbreak along the entire coastline where seals are present”.
In late June, authorities 7 cases The infection has been confirmed in seals on Cape Town and seven other beaches in the Western Cape, prompting residents to avoid contact with the animals. The first cases were detected in October 2023, they noted.
‘No need to panic’: Cape Town city officials stated “While rabies is new to Cape fur seals, it is endemic in much of South Africa’s wildlife,” he added at the time.
The area has witnessed many seal deaths in recent years. In November 2021, Western Cape authorities Nearly 200 seals die in one day The dead animal was found washed up on the shore due to suspected malnutrition.
Rabies is Most often fatal When symptoms appear, it is a contagious viral disease that affects the brain and central nervous system.
According to the World Health Organization, rabies is primarily transmitted by dogs, and the virus is transmitted to humans through a bite or scratch from an animal, causing symptoms three to four weeks after infection. 12 weeks Symptoms begin to appear.
Oelofse said there had yet to be a case of rabies being transmitted from seals to humans in Cape Town and city authorities were working to prevent it.
“There are a lot of people who come into contact with seals every day – surfers, kayakers, scuba divers – so one of the things we want to avoid is the possibility of rabies being transmitted to people, and so far that hasn’t happened.”
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