- North West to receive lion’s share of 12,000 newly procured vaccine
- Maun to also maintain its own dedicated stash of vaccines to prevent future shortages
- Chobe Holdings Limited pledges an additional 400 vials for the district
- DVS to be properly resourced and capacitated to fight the disease
- Around 200 stray dogs destroyed out of a culling target of 500Over 10, 000 pets including cats vaccinated since January
As the rabies crisis in the North West District reaches a critical tipping point, the Minister of Health, Dr Stephen Modise, has moved to reassure the public that the government is intensifying interventions to combat the outbreak, including a massive surge in vaccine distribution.
The human cost of the outbreak has become increasingly grim. The death toll has risen to four, claiming the lives of four young girls, all under the age of 10. Health authorities have further confirmed that 32 patients are currently undergoing emergency treatment for exposure.
Responding to a mounting public outcry, Modise visited Maun this week for high-level consultations with health officials and district leadership. Speaking at a leadership engagement seminar on Thursday, the Minister announced a strategic partnership with the Ministry of Land and Agriculture. This collaboration aims to ensure the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) is properly resourced and capacitated to fight the disease at its source.
Dr Modise addressed a recent logistical failure regarding vaccine supply. He explained that after early reports of the disease surfaced, 3,000 vaccines were ordered for immediate dispatch to Maun. However, a “miscommunication” resulted in those doses being diluted across the country, leaving the epicenter of the crisis underserved.
“We have since directed that the majority of those doses must come to Maun, which is the eye of the storm,” Dr Modise assured. “Starting this week, Maun will receive an increased supply.”
In a broader effort to stabilise the situation, the Minister revealed that an additional 12,000 vaccines have been procured. He stressed that Maun would not only receive the largest portion of this shipment but would also maintain its own dedicated “stash” of vaccines to prevent future shortages.
The current situation on the ground remains precarious. Dr Sandra Maripe, Deputy Secretary for Primary Health Services at the North West District Council, reported that as of Sunday, the drug warehouse held only 166 vials of anti-rabies vaccine, supplemented by 63 donated vials.
The private sector has begun to step in to bridge the gap, with Chobe Impact – corporate investment arm of Chobe Holdings Limited pledging to procure an additional 400 vials for the district.
Despite these incoming supplies, Dr Maripe lamented that the current stock remains insufficient to meet the demand generated by a surge in animal attacks. The district recorded 27 dog bites in January and 25 in February, but the figure nearly doubled to 49 cases in March, bringing the district total to 137 bites in just three months.
On the veterinary front, the battle against stray populations continues. Dr Reiten Mafonko, Principal Veterinary Officer for the North West, revealed that 199 dogs have been destroyed out of a culling target of 500. Simultaneously, a vaccination campaign for pets is nearing completion, with 10,756 dogs vaccinated since January.
The data underscores the severity of the infection rate among animals; out of 25 dogs sampled this year, 22 tested positive for rabies. The threat may also be spreading to livestock, as Dr Mafonko noted reports of a suspected rabid cow in Mawana and a goat on the outskirts of Disana. Samples from both animals are currently undergoing laboratory testing.
Dr Mafonko concluded by emphasising that containing the outbreak will require more than just medicine; it requires a well-resourced department, aggressive public engagement, and the urgent vaccination of frontline personnel who are handling the infected animals daily.
