The Western Cape government has confirmed that authorities are collecting samples from Cape Fur Seals to establish just how widespread a rabies outbreak in the province is.
Residents and travellers along the Western Cape coast have been warned to exercise caution when visiting the coastline after rabies was confirmed in the seals. Surfers, divers, water sports enthusiasts, and those in the fishing industry were urged to be extra cautious.
As health bodies investigate several cases of the disease, they have turned to samples from as far back as three years ago to understand its spread.
Stored samples collected from seals since 2021 by Sea Search are currently being tested to determine the timeline and extent of the outbreak, the government said in a statement this week.
Positive rabies cases confirmedPositive rabies cases were confirmed gradually between October last year and June this year.
