Have heard back yet again twice from Dr. Klein.  He sounds like he IS
willing to seek further information and I am hooking him up with some
sources, and he even found one by Charles Rupprecht on his own which
supports our position (once he had some names for searches).  If you
write, PLEASE, be POLITE and give references when possible since he now
sounds happy to learn.
 
[Moderator's note: Sukie had included Dr. Klein's original response in this
note but I deleted it since it was identical to his response to another
FMLer which is posted above.  So here is her response to that: BIG]
 
Please, READ what I sent.  I am NOT giving personal views.  I am leading
you to the SOURCES of ACCURATE information: CDC's Charles Rupprecht (head
of the rabies division), the National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians which changed the _Compendium of Animal Rabies Control_ in
light of the CDC research as well as that done in France and Germany, the
USDA which licensed IMRAB 3 rabies vaccine for ferrets in 1990 after it
met their stringent criteria, etc.
 
You may contact Charles Rupprecht at ************ unless Chuck has changed
his address there.  If you want I can also get you in touch with other
important contacts such as epidemiologists, public health vets, etc.
 
BTW, you CAN check easily enough with the CDC about there being no
documented cases of rabies contracted from ferrets ever world-wide.
It's no secret and is accessibly information.
 
While rabies cases contracted within the U.S. are rare (There also are
cases contracted elsewhere which take quite some time to express; you will
find an interesting CDC document on an Oriental woman who had been in the
U.S.  for 8 years when she broke with a strain that proved to be of
Oriental origin.) the cases among humans in the U.S.  tend to be those from
contracted from bats, especially silver bat strain, with the people never
having known that they were bitten.
 
I hope that you WILL bother to no longer rely on inaccurate or out-dated
statements, when there ARE pathologists, epidemiologists, and vets who
specialize in the topics of animal bites and rabies.  There is accurate
data out there, but far too often people go with current medical LORE
rather than hard data.  That undermines the public confidence in health
care professionals and can lead to undue pain.  Getting accurate data and
checking with those who are the leading professionals in a topic is only
logical and fair; besides, it would set you above those who are happy with
slip-shod reports, so you also owe it to yourself.  Don't take it just
from me.  DO check with the CDC's rabies division, with the USDA, with the
NASPHV.  Might as well learn from the EXPERTS when others hope that you
will impart expert data.  Right?
 
If you find that one group does not trust a vaccine then isn't it in the
interest of being correct to let people know that there also are
professionals who are at least equally qualified who consider it as
effective as the vaccines for cats and dogs?
 
Thanks for the refs.  You might want to actually chat with Chuck Rupprecht
to set your mind at ease.  He's NOT worried by ferrets, though he did
mention to me once that in the interest of being most accurate he HAS to
allow for even infinitely small probabilities.  Ask him about there never
having been a documented case contracted from ferrets while you are at it.
He's a very kind and pleasant soul despite being very busy, and has even
traveled to help dispel notions such as those you present in your
paragraph.
[Posted in FML issue 2974]