Chris, I am forwarding this to you with permission.  I thought
it should be shared with the List.
 
In article <[log in to unmask]> Jeff Parke
([log in to unmask]) writes:
>Ok, nobody "bit" on my rabid ferret question, so here's the rather longish
>answer.
>
>I wrote:
>>Here's a good question from a public health exam I had today.  A 10 month
>>old ferret vaccinated with with Pittman-Moore's IMRAB vaccine at age
>>3 mo. bites a neighbor's child.  You are the veterinarian who did the
>>vaccination.  The neighbor now is convinced her child will contract
>>rabies.
>
>>What do you do?
>
>Although one would hope that the ferret rabies vaccine would simplify the
>questions that arise around issues of rabid ferrets, it doesn't.  The
 Compendium
>of Animal Rabies Control, 1992, is used by many states as law regarding rabies.
>Here's what it says concerning this case:
>
> "The period of rabies virus shedding in infected wild or exotic animals
>(including ferrets) is unknown; therefore, confinement and observations of
 those
>animals that bite human beings are not appropriate"  [the "(including ferrets)"
>is part of the Compendium, not my parentheses]
>
>The confinement/observation period is the ten day period in which it is
>established dogs or cats will exhibit clinical rabies if they in fact are rabid
>and infective at the time of a bite.  Apparently the writers of the compendium
>feel there is insufficient evidence to establish a similar period for ferrets.
>
>There is hope, however.  In another section of the Compendium, under
 "Management
>of animals that bite human beings", it says:  "Management of animals other than
>dogs and cats depends on the species, the circumstances of the bite, and the
>epidemiology of rabies in the area."
>
>Basically here is a clause that leaves it to professional judgement.  In real
>life, it would also involve the politics and persuasion of individuals.  Those
>individuals would include public health officials, and at least one
 veterinarian
>and physician.  Also included might be some lawyers.  If push came to shove,
 one
>might be forced to sacrifice the ferret for rabies analysis, if one lived in an
>endemic area and there were sufficient suspicion of whether the ferret could
>have possibly been exposed.
>
>My sense is that ferret owners often allow their animals to roam free indoors,
>but that it is rare for someone to let their ferret outside alone.  This alone
>could be strong argument in a legal case of possible ferret rabies - how could
>the ferret have contracted rabies?  Also, the vaccination, you say.
>Unfortunately the ferret vaccine is not quite as good as that used for dogs and
>cats.  It is alledgedly only about 80% effective in preventing rabies
 infection.
>But nonetheless, it is an added argument in favor of the ferret in a case like
>this.
>
>-Jeff
>-------
>[log in to unmask] ...uunet!wsuaix.csc.wsu.edu!jeffp
>[log in to unmask] CIS: 71511,1512  AOL: JeffParke
>a.k.a. Jeff Parke,  Washington State University College of Vet. Medicine
 
[Posted in FML issue 0248]