>>MN      >N     >O     >K       >
>>          >Dr. Kirk Smith, MN Dept of Health, xxx-623-5000  (I need an area
>>           code for this, please)
>
>I don't know where you got this information but it is in error on almost
>every count.
 
Well, I'm the one who spoke to Dr. Kirk Smith, and that's what he told me.
This is the condensed version:
 
I asked about IMRAB-3, and he said if it was listed as being effective, the
state would recognize it.  He immediately qualified this by saying that
there are NO vaccines for ferrets that are "guaranteed effective", so the
state sees ferrets like "wild, unvaccinated animals", and will treat them as
such.  I asked if that meant there was no quarantine, and he said there was
not.  He said it is the state's policy to follow the national guidelines,
which do not recommend them.
 
He said that "some ferret people" think that the vaccine is effective, but
in reality, there are still tests currently going on to determine that.
Then he said that until there is a "scientific, published study" about
rabies in ferrets and the effectiveness of the vaccine, the state's policy
will be kill and test.
 
After all that, he said that the state usually just leaves it up to the
local governments.  But that doesn't mean the state doesn't have a policy -
I specifically asked him what the state's policy was, and that's what he
told me.
 
If this information is incorrect, then someone needs to tell the Dept of
Health that.
 
Chris and Vanessa, and the twin carpet sharks,
Mina and Josette
[Posted in FML issue 1984]