Okay, it has been mentioned to me that writing a reply about the misuse of
my name (and therefore in an angry state of mind) two hours after I should
have been in bad led to a paragraph being rather nebulous.  If anyone
misunderstood it to mean that all (rather than "a few", as stated) of the
states mentioned therein having protection for at least some ferrets in
specific situations then I am sorry that I did not write more clearly.
 
For clarification here is my December 4th California post re-sent intact (If
that's okay with you, Bill?) since that and Hawaii are the most hostile
states so far -- though there is work yet to be done in certain other states
also to protect ferrets.  Our most effective tactics are likely to be the
exact same tactics which have worked in the past elsewhere: level-headed and
education wherever it is needed, sweet ferret pictures, thank you notes to
those in power who help ferrets, and working with those whose education
(epidemiologists, vets, infectious disease specialists, etc.) makes their
opinions carry more weight with the political and media types.  Anyway here
it is:
 
>Okay, just got the letter back from California and it is just INCREDIBLY
>DIFFERENT from all of the rest so far, but I've lost Jeanne's e-mail
>address so would someone make sure she gets a major "heads up" on this,
>PLEASE?  Looks like copies all the CDC/KSU studies once published AND the
>existing European studies should go to this person along with some
>level-headed, unemotional sales-talk.  HE PROBABLY NEEDS BABYING AND SHOULD
>NOT BE ANGERED.  The list of other states which ARE going with the change
>in the '98 Compendium might make a big difference when done; if not, then
>it should have an effect with the press and other media there.  Steve's
>comment was, "I'm so glad we don't live in California...".
>
>Kevin Reilly, D.V.M., M.P.V.M., Chief, Veterinary Public Health Section,
>California Department of Health Services, 714/744 P Street, P.O. Box
>942732, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320 (1-916-327-0332); excerpt other than
>intro and closing politenesses:
>
>"...I am aware that the National Association of State Public Health
>Veterinarians (NASPHV) is contemplating a modification to their
>recommendations on the disposition of domestic ferrets following a human
>bite or potential exposure to a suspect rabid animal.  However, I am not
>aware of the NASPV  having published such recommendations, or the Centers
>for Disease Control and Prevention having adopted them.  I have not seen
>good published studies on experimental rabies infection in ferrets other
>than the recent work by Niezgoda, et. al. Published in the American Journal
>of Veterinary Research.  The California Department of Health Services will
>not be making any changes to rabies control procedures used in the State in
>regards to ferrets until we have had an opportunity to review the published
>NASPHV recommendations and any additional experimental evidence published
>in the peer reviewed scientific literature."
[Posted in FML issue 2185]