Rabies Conference
The Kudu Rabies Donor Conference was held at the NAU on Wednesday, 28 August 2013 and was attended by its Patron, Dr Libertina Amathila, Mr Mecki Schneider, Dr Rainer Hassel (who led the presentation on Kudu Rabies in Namibia), Dr Mark Jago as well as various other stakeholders and representatives of the press.
Dr Rainer Hassel stressed that the current Kudu rabies epidemic is more pronounced than the last one (during 1977 to 1986) and is becoming worse instead of diminishing. Dr Amathila highlighted the fact that the proposed Kudu Rabies Project will serve as an important step in strategically controlling rabies in affected Kudu populations and pointed out: "The exciting part of this project is that it will attempt to prove certain assumptions on the transmission of the disease, as well as investigating the possibility of oral vaccination of the kudu species."
To date, since 1977, two rabies epidemics have occurred in the kudu populations of Namibia. This disease is currently a serious threat to the Kudu population as well as wildlife in general. According to an estimate done in 1982 (4 years before the end of that epidemic), 30 000 to 50 000 kudus (20-40%) of the kudu population have died from rabies during the time-span from 1977 to 1986. Since 2002 a pronounced increase in Kudu rabies numbers have occurred and this second epidemic is still active. A small survey was conducted on 12 farms in the Otavi and Tsumeb area in March 2011 and based on game counts in the time-span from 2008 to 2010 an average Kudu loss (due to rabies) of 46% was calculated. Rabies in Kudu populations is said to occur in cycles in areas with dense populations of Kudu. The rabies virus in Kudu is thought to originate from the black-backed jackal.
In an alarming quote by researchers Terence Scott, Siegfried Khaiseb, Louis Nel (et.al.) it was stated that: 'We found the grouping of all rabies isolates from Kudu to those of any other canid species in Namibia, suggesting that rabies was maintained independently in Kudu. Additionally we noted several mutations unique to isolates from Kudu, suggesting that these mutations may be due to adaptation of rabies to a new host.'
The Kudu Rabies Project proposed lays out the following objectives:
1. To collect and evaluate epidemiological data (studying patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in specific populations) regarding the current rabies outbreak among Kudu in Namibia
2. To collect and evaluate sero-epidemiological data (Epidemiologic study through the use of serological (study of plasma serum and other bodily fluids) testing to detect infection) regarding the current rabies outbreak among Kudu in Namibia
3. To prove the possibility of horizontal transmission of rabies in Kudu
4. To develop an anti-rabies vaccine and bait suitable of effective oral vaccination of Kudu against rabies. Losing our Kudu is not only an immense loss to the trophy hunting industry and the Namibian economy in general but also a great loss of a Namibian trademark animal that attracts a great variety of tourists to our country every year. The Kudu is a symbol animal for Namibia. It harbours great aesthetic value, e.g. for the Eco-tourism sector, while being an important source of game meat and income for conservancies and game owners.
The proposed Kudu Rabies Project will cost a little over N$2 million. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Directorate of Veterinary Services (Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry), Namibia Agricultural Union, Agra Professional Services, University of Pretoria and IDT Biologika GmbH (Germany) have finalized a partnership and have expressed their commitment to this project. Donations to make this project possible are urgently needed!
If you are interested in getting involved in this initiative, financially or otherwise, then please contact Annatjie du Preez (NAU) for further information. Her contact details are:
annatjie@agrinamibia.com.na