A brief update on recent developments regarding the rabies issue:
 
First, Dr. Charles Rupprecht of the CDC in Atlanta, who last fall informed
the Compendium Committee that ferrets in the laboratory had been found to
shed the raccoon strain of rabies virus, confirmed in an interview with me
that he believes the data so far are fully consistent with eventual
establishment of an observation period in lieu of decapitation in bite
cases.  This is based on the fact that within no more than 3 days after
shedding began, the rabid ferrets began to display obvious clinical symptoms
of rabies.  What this means is, a 10-day observation period, as with dogs
and cats, is viable.
 
Second, although it has not made much noise lately, the Immunization
Practices Advisory Committee to the Public Health Service (ACIP) continues
to have on the books a very misinformed and regressive policy on rabies and
ferrets dating back to 1991.  It characterizes ferrets as "wild animals,"
citing the NASPHV (National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians)
as its authority, and openly recommends mandatory euthanasia for testing in
all bite cases.
 
Third, in a recent exchange of correspondence with me, Dr. Suzanne Jenkins,
head of the NASPHV and the Compendium Committee, disputed ACIP's
characterization of the NASPHV position and affirmed that NASPHV, unlike
ACIP, supports a "case-by-case" decision in bite cases on whether
euthanization is necessary.
 
Fourth, LIFE has just issued a revised and updated "Fact Sheet on Rabies in
Ferrets".
 
The text of her remarks, the ACIP position, the interview with Rupprecht,
and the new LIFE Fact Sheet can all be accessed from the LIFE Web site,
http://www.acmeferret.com/life
 
Also available now on the LIFE Page is a new search engine that can be used
to search by keywords through the hundreds of useful and informative
articles on the LIFE site, the Ferret Information Bank, and the archives of
the Independent Voice.
 
Howard Davis
Humane Affairs Coordinator
League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts (LIFE)
[Posted in FML issue 1833]