Rabies Outbreak in Seals Shocks Experts Ft. Ocean Conservation Namibia
A marine biologist interviews Naude Dryer of Ocean Conservation Namibia to learn what the first outbreak of rabies in fur seals means for seals, people, and conservation.
00:00 - Rabid Seals Are Attacking People
00:37 - Interview With Naude Dryer Ocean Conservation Namibia
01:54 - Domoic Acid Poisoning
03:41 - Rabies Outbreak in Seals
06:14 - How Did Seals Get Rabies?
07:15 - People Bitten by Rabid Seals
09:29 - Ocean Conservation Namibia Seal Rescue
Special thanks to Naude Dreyer, co-founder of Ocean Conservation, for sharing his knowledge about cape fur seals and the rabies outbreak in seals.
Follow OCN → / @oceanconservationnamibia
Support OCN's rescue efforts → https://www.ocnamibia.org/
CORRECTION:
09:11 Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) treatment is nearly 100% effective if administered before symptom onset. Approximately 60,000 people receive PEP annually in the U.S., and 29 million people globally, after being exposed to rabies. During 2000–2021, an average of 1-3 people died from rabies every year in the U.S. and none had received PEP treatment. Although fatal once clinical signs appear, rabies is entirely avoidable; vaccines, medicines and technologies have long been available to prevent death from rabies. If you are bitten by a wild animal, or come into contact with known carriers like bats or raccoons, see a doctor immediately. For more information, see the links below.
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/hcp/clinic...
[2] https://www.canada.ca/en/public-healt...
[3] https://www.who.int/health-topics/rab...
Scientists believe this rabies outbreak in seals is the first ever in marine mammals. This is because one of the symptoms of rabies is a fear of water, also known as hydrophobia. Rabies virus lives in saliva, and drinking water reduces the amount of saliva in the mouth, which reduces the virus' ability to spread. Even though 72 people in South Africa have been bitten or scratched by cape fur seals, and 8 have been bitten by seals confirmed to have rabies, no human cases have been reported.
They have begun trial vaccinations for rabies in seals. The focus is vagrant seals who occasionally visit South Africa. These seals are being vaccinated and tagged to make sure they don't spread the disease to their remote colonies.
Rabies Facts:
• Rabies is 100% preventable through vaccination.
• Rabies is zoonotic, meaning humans can get the disease from animals.
• Rabies is endemic in over 150 countries. Common carriers include foxes, jackals, bats, raccoons, skunks, as well as feral and domestic cats and dogs.
• The virus is transmitted through contact in saliva from close contact with an infected animal such as bites, scratches, or even licks on broken skin and mucous membranes.
• Rabies vaccination of dogs and cats is mandatory by law in most countries.
[1] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sh...
Sources
[1] https://www.livescience.com/animals/s...
[2] https://www.news24.com/news24/communi...
[3] https://www.latimes.com/environment/s...
[4] https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/featur...
[5] https://www.atlanticsun.co.za/news/pu...
[6] https://www.newsweek.com/seal-attacks...
[7] https://www.capetown.gov.za/Media-and...
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