Switzerland updates Morocco travel advisory, warns of stray animals and rabies risk

Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has updated its travel advice for Morocco, explicitly warning tourists to avoid contact with stray animals due to the risk of rabies.

«Always keep your distance from stray animals. Several fatal cases of rabies have been reported following dog bites», the FDFA stated in an update made public on Friday.

The change follows the death of a Swiss tourist in late June in Taghazout, a coastal town north of Agadir. The woman had been playing with a stray dog when it suddenly bit her. Although experts initially assessed the bite as superficial and non-threatening, medical staff cleaned and disinfected the wound and administered an anti-rabies injection. Despite this, her condition deteriorated rapidly.