Current health alerts for South Africa

Health notices reported for South Africa, with what each means for your trip and how to protect yourself. Our pharmacist will tailor this to your plans.

Rabies

24 July 2026

Spread by animal bites or scratches

Since 2024, more than 100 cases of rabies have been confirmed in Cape fur seals in South Africa and Namibia. See our Topics in Brief article for further details on rabies.

There's a vaccine for this

Don't pet or feed animals (dogs, monkeys, bats). If you're bitten or scratched, rinse it under running water for several minutes and get help quickly — a pre-travel course makes treatment simpler.

Rabies Book

Last updated 8 August 2026. Contains public sector information from TravelHealthPro (NaTHNaC), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © UK Health Security Agency. This is general information, not personal medical advice — your travel-health needs are assessed by our pharmacist.

Travelling to South Africa?

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