Our good fortune in N J got me wondering about states where people have not
had a strong quarantine effort, or those from which the state public health
vets did not attend the National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians meeting where the 1998 Compendium change and the Rupprecht et.
al. study were presented.
 
There are some states (multiple) which were on the cusp of changing policy
even without the compendium change partly because of the bat shedding report
from October, and largely because they have incredibly diligent people who
have gotten the studies as they were completed to the right people, each
time, for a very long time.
 
Some states had legislated quarantine times due to strong backing for the
work of ferret lovers.  Some predated shedding studies, but at least one
reported that the studies completed at that point were essential for
passage.
 
There are others which have to wait (by state law) till the Compendium is
formally released (but even they can possibly get some of the paper work in
place, depending on the state laws which shape their regulations, so that
the entire change goes faster after Jan 1st).
 
If you have never heard of your state having an active quarantine effort,
then you should call your state health department.  BE POLITE -- THESE ARE
PEOPLE YOU WANT TO HAVE ON YOUR SIDE.  If their policy has changed to get
quarantine then let everyone here know.  If they say they are working toward
change, find out what they need to put it through and let people here know
about those needs.  Maybe ways can be found to satisfy them if it's not just
a matter of waiting for the compendium and required paperwork.  If a policy
change is not planned or in effect then find out who your state public
health vet in charge of rabies policy is.  This may take a bit of office
hop-scotch work since some states have multiple public health vets with a
variety of responsibilites.  Find out if your essential public health vet
was at the recent conference OR is aware of the Rupprecht et. al. work
presented AND of the resulting 1998 Compendium change in recommended policy
(to begin managing ferrets the same ways as dogs and cats in cases of rabies
exposure or biting of humans).  If the vet is NOT aware, then remain polite
and enthusiastically mention that it's all very exciting and that the vet
will want to contact other public health vets to learn what a wonderful
thing has happened.  Who knows, your call may be the thing which gets your
state to have a quarantine as fast as possible.  How's that for good work?
 
That will leave the states which just won't listen.  We should know which
ones those are by about April or May.  Troy Lynn, are you planning to
continue to keep the running dally of which states become quarantine states
as they do so that we'll all know which ones are problems ones?  Who else is
doing that?  Once those states are isolated we can find out what the
objections are and work to help those in the affected states find effective
ways to shred those objections.
 
Bill, I am curious about whether this Compendium change will be all that
will needed to get ferrets legalized in N.Y.C.  If my memory serves isn't
the largest (only?) objection there the (now previous) nebulous status of
ferrets for rabies management policy?
 
[Moderator's note: I don't really know.  I think NYC Dept. of Health thinks
very much like CA F&G.  You know, that ferrets are dangerous wild animals
that will threaten the indigenous NYC cockroach population and such.  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 2117]