Apparently rabies-infected seals are now a problem we have to worry about. At least nine seals have been found infected with the virus in the waters around Cape Town, Africa, causing scientists and authorities to sound the alarm. While it’s possible that people in the area have been bitten by infected seals, there have been no cases of human infection caused by these animals yet, so the overall risk of marine rabies being transmitted to humans should be very low.
Cape Town authorities announced in early June that was detected The seals were found infected with rabies after reports of strange seal behavior. Chewing aggressively Several people were killed and another seal was found with severe facial injuries believed to have been caused by an animal. Four seals suspected of having rabies Three have recently tested positive and been euthanized, and the encounters are understandably making water-loving Cape Town residents nervous.
“I was surfing the other day and this seal showed up in the lineup. [of surfers] Greg Oelofse, coastal management officer at Cape Town Council, said of “the sun itself.” Said Parents Thursday. “Usually the surfers would be mingling and enjoying themselves. But now everyone was paddling as fast as they could to get away.”
But officials say the arrival of rabies-infected seals may have happened earlier this year. Starting in late 2021, seal attacks on humans in the area began to increase. So Oelofs and his team decided to go back further. Working with local marine researchers and conservationists, they began retrospectively testing the brains of seals that had been euthanized for other reasons. So far, they’ve found a total of nine cases of rabies in seals.
It is believed that any mammal can be infected with rabies, but the only documented case of rabies in a seal was in Norway in 1980. Other marine mammals This, too, is considered extremely rare, so it may well represent the first major outbreak of a viral disease in aquatic mammals, but the immediate risk to humans appears low.
“I think there’s a fair number of people who’ve been bitten by rabies-infected seals, but thankfully no humans have been infected yet,” Oelofse said. “We don’t know why. Maybe the infection rate is low. Maybe the salt water in your mouth reduces the amount of virus?”
Rabies Rabies is notoriously nearly 100% fatal to humans once symptoms such as aggression, disorientation and an overwhelming fear of water appear, but it can take several weeks or more before infection becomes clearly visible, and post-exposure prophylaxis (a combination of a rabies vaccine and antibody provision) can usually prevent the disease from developing. Vaccination programs for pets and livestock and improved animal management have significantly reduced human rabies today, but there are still many areas of the world where it is endemic.
While humans generally can’t catch rabies on land or in the water, there’s still concern that the virus could take hold among seals and other marine mammals. That’s why authorities and scientists are continuing to study the issue, including analysing the genetic makeup of the virus found in infected animals to determine where it came from. In the meantime, people are being urged to be on the lookout for seals that seem to be acting strangely.
“If you see a seal behaving strangely or aggressively, stay well away and call authorities,” Oelofse said. “A relaxed seal is unlikely to pose a threat.”
