About this event
Rabies in the sea: Cape fur seals emerge as new maintenance host
In June 2024, an outbreak of rabies was detected in Cape fur seals in Cape Town. Since then, over 70 cases of rabies in Cape fur seals have been confirmed all along the coasts of the Western and Northern Cape Provinces. Sequencing of rabies viruses from the seals show that the outbreak started from a single spillover event from a rabid land mammal, and transmission is now being maintained within the seal population. The emergence of a new rabies reservoir in the ocean poses challenges for rabies management in animals and people, both locally and internationally. Dr Lesley van Helden gives an update about the current situation and what vets need to know.
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Guest speaker
Dr Lesley van Helden State Veterinarian: Epidemiology @ Western Cape Department of AgricultureG
Lesley is currently the State Veterinarian: Epidemiology at Western Cape Department of Agriculture and is responsible for designing strategies for disease surveillance and prevention as well as co-ordinating the implementation of these strategies, advising field personnel on the investigation and control of animal disease outbreaks, management of provincial animal disease data and reporting to the national Directorate of Animal Health.
