Chris, I am forwarding this to you with permission. I thought
it should be shared with the List.
In article <[log in to unmask]> Jeff Parke
([log in to unmask]) writes:
>Ok, nobody "bit" on my rabid ferret question, so here's the rather longish
>answer.
>
>I wrote:
>>Here's a good question from a public health exam I had today. A 10 month
>>old ferret vaccinated with with Pittman-Moore's IMRAB vaccine at age
>>3 mo. bites a neighbor's child. You are the veterinarian who did the
>>vaccination. The neighbor now is convinced her child will contract
>>rabies.
>
>>What do you do?
>
>Although one would hope that the ferret rabies vaccine would simplify the
>questions that arise around issues of rabid ferrets, it doesn't. The
Compendium
>of Animal Rabies Control, 1992, is used by many states as law regarding rabies.
>Here's what it says concerning this case:
>
> "The period of rabies virus shedding in infected wild or exotic animals
>(including ferrets) is unknown; therefore, confinement and observations of
those
>animals that bite human beings are not appropriate" [the "(including ferrets)"
>is part of the Compendium, not my parentheses]
>
>The confinement/observation period is the ten day period in which it is
>established dogs or cats will exhibit clinical rabies if they in fact are rabid
>and infective at the time of a bite. Apparently the writers of the compendium
>feel there is insufficient evidence to establish a similar period for ferrets.
>
>There is hope, however. In another section of the Compendium, under
"Management
>of animals that bite human beings", it says: "Management of animals other than
>dogs and cats depends on the species, the circumstances of the bite, and the
>epidemiology of rabies in the area."
>
>Basically here is a clause that leaves it to professional judgement. In real
>life, it would also involve the politics and persuasion of individuals. Those
>individuals would include public health officials, and at least one
veterinarian
>and physician. Also included might be some lawyers. If push came to shove,
one
>might be forced to sacrifice the ferret for rabies analysis, if one lived in an
>endemic area and there were sufficient suspicion of whether the ferret could
>have possibly been exposed.
>
>My sense is that ferret owners often allow their animals to roam free indoors,
>but that it is rare for someone to let their ferret outside alone. This alone
>could be strong argument in a legal case of possible ferret rabies - how could
>the ferret have contracted rabies? Also, the vaccination, you say.
>Unfortunately the ferret vaccine is not quite as good as that used for dogs and
>cats. It is alledgedly only about 80% effective in preventing rabies
infection.
>But nonetheless, it is an added argument in favor of the ferret in a case like
>this.
>
>-Jeff
>-------
>[log in to unmask] ...uunet!wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu!jeffp
>[log in to unmask] CIS: 71511,1512 AOL: JeffParke
>a.k.a. Jeff Parke, Washington State University College of Vet. Medicine
[Posted in FML issue 0248]
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