Ballito raises funds for rabies awareness
After Mark Taylor contracted rabies from a dog bite, he made it his mission to educate people about the effects of rabies and got his community of Ballito involved.
Mark Taylor shares how his rabies infection changed him:
While on a trip to Pietermaritzburg, Mark Taylor saw an injured dog on the road. What began as an effort to save a furry friend, resulted in a bite to the cheek and a case of rabies. Mark is a huge lover of dogs and could not bear to see the dog stranded.
Read: DA wants KZN Agriculture to detail response to rabies outbreak
When he picked up the dog, he was bitten and left with a 10cm long scar, but he somehow managed to get the dog to a veterinarian.
Mark was then administered rabies Prophylaxis injections, despite the dog’s saliva samples testing negative for the disease. He was then told to seek further treatment.
Read: R6-million allocated to end KZN rabies outbreak
After hearing about the recent spate of deaths caused by a rabies outbreak, he decided it was time to share his story with us all.
The experience weighed heavily on me psychologically and still today I struggle to wrap my head around the "What If’s". I was lucky. Many others have not been so fortunate. A concerning fact about Rabies, is that once you have contracted the disease it is fatal. There is no hope for a cure. Even more alarming is the fact that rabies can manifest inside the human body up to 3 years after exposure. More people need to be aware of this disease to avoid more casualties.
Mark set up a campaign on crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy, to raised funds for an organisation on the front line of this epidemic, in celebration of his 40th birthday.
I hope to raise R5000, Rabies Awareness Eshk owe, to empower them to vaccinate as many animals as possible in the Ballito area. With this effort, I also hope to create awareness and educate others especially those in disadvantaged or high-risk areas, so they can better protect themselves and their loved ones
The campaign has so far raised R2,386.79, with a goal of R5,000.
If you would like to assist Mark, visit BackaBuddy.co.za to lean how.