- The National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirms that a child from Mbokota Village in Limpopo has been diagnosed with human rabies.
- The boy was diagnosed in December.
- It is still unclear whether the child was bitten by a rabid dog.
An 8-year-old Limpopo boy has been confirmed to have rabies.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), the child from Mbokota Village in Limpopo was admitted to the hospital with a fever, confusion, delirium, trouble breathing and hemiplegia.
The boy was diagnosed in December.
During a medical examination, it was found the child had oral ulcers and thrush, discharge from his ears, septic swelling of the lower lip and swelling around the eyes with associated discharge.
He also had signs of mild brain swelling.
Tests confirmed a case of human rabies. The NICD said it was unclear if the boy had been bitten by a dog.
This year, 13 cases of human rabies were reported across the country. The Eastern Cape recorded seven, Limpopo had four and KwaZulu-Natal had two.
"A further six probable cases were identified," the NICD said, explaining that the patients' symptoms were in keeping with the diagnosis of rabies but there was no laboratory confirmation.
Five of these cases were in the Eastern Cape Province, and one was in KwaZulu-Natal.