Sly little creatures get tricked into eating vaccine

A local vet is part of a groundbreaking study that is going to impact the spreads of rabies.

Dr Jackie Hooton gets all excited when she starts chatting about the project she is involved in under the leadership of Dr Katja Koeppel from the University of Pretoria.

The aim of this research is to present an oral vaccine in different options to free-ranging jackal to evaluate uptake and the response to the bait in captive jackal for 18 months post vaccination.

“The ideal will be to fly over the Kruger National Park, drop this bait and let them feast on their oral rabies vaccine,” Jackie said.

The baits are coated with a fishmeal attractant and are packaged in two-inch plastic sachets or one-inch square cubes.

The smell will attract jackal, but little do they know that this yummy treat is actually a vaccination.

This project was developed in America where raccoons became a huge headache.

On August 1 the United States’ Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service began its annual distribution of oral rabies vaccine bait, in selected areas in the eastern United States to prevent the spread of raccoon rabies into America’s heartland.

They distribute the bait across rural areas by airplanes and in suburban or urban areas by helicopters, vehicles and bait stations.

This project has also been integrated successfully into raccoon rabies management programs in Canada.

Here on home soil jackal is first on the list when the red lights flags go up.

Jackie has taken some jackal pups in her care after their mom was caught in a snare.

When she died the pups nearly starved to death, but was luckily found and given to Jackie.

The next pups were confiscated after a man was trying to sell them.

Blood samples are taken from the pups every 12 weeks to compare after the oral vaccination was given.

It is this information that forms part of the study.

What is rabies?

Rabies is a virus that is usually spread by the bite or scratch of an animal.

By the time the symptoms appear, it is generally too late to save the patient.

However, a person who may have been exposed to rabies can usually be treated effectively if they seek help at once.

Jackie said you should immediately clean your wound if you have been bitten.

“Flush out your wound well with soap and water or water alone for about five minutes. Then apply disinfectant. Rush tot he nearest hospital immediately,” she advised.

Did you know?

• In the United States, between one and three contract rabies each year. From 2008 to 2017, the United States of America saw 23 human cases, eight of which were contracted outside the country. Advances in medicine, awareness, and vaccination programs have reduced the incidence of rabies since the 1970s. However, globally, it remains a problem and tens of thousands of deaths result from rabies each year, mostly in rural areas of Southeast Asia and Africa. Over 95 percent of infections are caused by dogs.

• According to Medical News Today rabies is a viral disease that is nearly always transmitted by an infected animal bite.

• Anyone who receives a bite in a geographical area where rabies occurs should seek treatment at once.

• For treatment to be successful, it must be given before symptoms appear.

• Symptoms include neurological problems and a fear of light and water.

• Following the vaccination requirements for pets helps prevent and control rabies.