Rabies Threatens Namibian Kudu Population - And Vaccination Is Now Crucial

Kudu and eland populations are being decimated by rabies, but many uncertainties still exist around the seemingly Namibia-specific manifestation of the disease. Dr Ulf Tubbesing, a wildlife veterinarian in Namibia, spoke to Annelie Coleman about the crisis.

- Annelie Coleman

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that attacks the central nervous system of all mammals, including humans. The widely researched disease is endemic to Namibia. Although the disease traditionally occurred in the central and northern regions of the country, it is common nowadays in the southern and eastern parts, according to wildlife veterinarian Dr Ulf Tubbesing.

Rabies has a low morbidity rate (usually affecting few animals in a population) but a high mortality rate. Among infected kudu, the morality rate is 100%. According to Tubbesing, the Namibian rabies situation is unique in that the disease spreads from one kudu or eland to another, reaching epidemic proportions with devastating effects on these species’ numbers.

‘KUDU PEST’

There is some confusion among farmers regarding the cause of kudu deaths, with many referring to the ‘kudu pest’. However, the Central Veterinary Laboratory in Windhoek has examined the brains of affected animals using a rabies-specific test, and has proved beyond doubt that the animals died of rabies.

Outbreaks began occurring sporadically in the country between 1977 and 1985, causing severe mortalities among the kudu population.

“In 2005 I observed how this disease, within three months, nearly wiped out the once abundant kudu population on our farm near Windhoek. A mere fraction of the original population was left,” Tubbesing says.

TRANSMISSION

A rabies infection typically starts with an animal being bitten by an infected animal such as a jackal, yellow mongoose or dog. The bite wound is contaminated with virus particles contained in the attacker’s saliva. The virus then migrates up the spinal cord and reaches the brain.