A woman showing symptoms of rabies has died in Durban.
|||A woman showing symptoms of rabies has died in Durban, the KwaZulu-Natal department of agriculture and environmental affairs said on Wednesday.
The exact cause of the 52-year-old woman's death could be confirmed only when a post mortem was done, said spokesman Jeffrey Zikhali.
The woman, who was bitten by a neighbour's dog on March 24, did not seek medical care and was admitted to hospital on May 24.
“She started scratching and complaining of pains on the healed wound. Pains were followed by hydrophobia, difficulty in swallowing saliva, weakness and vomiting,” Zikhali said in a statement.
“We are pleading with the communities to have their dogs and cats tested as they are having full-scale vaccination campaigns around the province.”
Members of the woman's family, who handled her saliva secretions, were advised to get post exposure prophylaxis at a hospital, Zikhali said.
He said the department hoped to put an end to the virus, which has no known cure, and had offered extensive health education on rabies. - Sapa