LIFE has sent the following letter to the American Veterinary Medical
Association, officials at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, and
the Humane Society of the United States. Due to the exceptional gravity of
the situation, I earnestly encourage everyone concerned for the welfare of
ferrets to write similar letters to the above addressees as well as to state
and local authorities in their own area, to show their outrage and let these
officials know that Dr. Suzanne Jenkins is peddling lies to promote her
misguided policy.
<begin text>
Dr. Suzanne Jenkins of the National Association of State Public Health
Veterinarians (NASPHV) has embarked on a national campaign to pressure state
and local officials and humane organizations to support strengthening of the
already discriminatory anti-ferret public health policies that have led to
the needless deaths of thousands of ferrets over the last 25 years.
In pursuit of this goal, Dr. Jenkins has engaged in unscientific, and
unethical misrepresentation of facts. She justifies a blanket recommendation
of euthanasia in bite cases on grounds that ferrets, because they are of the
same family as the skunk, are at greater risk of rabies than horses or other
domestic animals. She says the lack of a known viral shedding period in
ferrets means that public safety cannot be ensured without decapitation of
ferrets for testing in bite cases.
Statistics collated by the American Veterinary Medical Association and
endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta give the lie to
Dr. Jenkins assertions. Consider these FACTS:
--Both ferrets and horses are susceptible to rabies.
--The USDA has approved IMRAB-3 as an effective rabies vaccine for both
ferrets and horses.
--The shedding period is unknown for both ferrets and horses.
--The incidence of rabies in horses is 17 times greater than incidence in
ferrets.
Yet public health authorities rarely insist horses be sacrificed for testing
in bite cases whether or not they are vaccinated, while routinely insisting
ferrets be sacrificed even if vaccinated and never outdoors.
What the Data Show
In 1994, according to Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
(JAVMA) Vol 207 Dec 15 1995, some 592 dogs, 267 cats, 42 equines (horses and
mules), and 1 ferret were identified as rabid. With a US dog population
estimated at 54.2 million by the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC,
December 1995), rabies incidence in dogs is 10.9 per million. A total of
267 cats were found rabid out of a population estimated by PIJAC at 63
million, for a rabies incidence of 4.2 per million for cats.
JAVMA in 1988 estimated the US horse population at 6.6 million. Even if the
equine population has since grown to 12 million, the incidence rate for
horses and mules would still be only 3.5 per million. PIJAC estimates (Dec.
1995) that there are 5 million ferrets in the US. That means the rabies
incidence rate for ferrets in 1994 was only 0.2 per million - 17 times less
than for horses!
Dr. Jenkins own statistics for Virginia, where she is State Epidemiologist,
discredit her arbitrary and capricious approach. In 1994 38 ferrets were
tested for rabies - zero came out positive for rabies. In 1995 33 ferrets
were tested for rabies - zero came out positive. Through June 8 of this
year, 18 ferrets have been tested for rabies - zero came out positive.
FERRETS ARE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO GET RABIES THAN HORSES. BOTH HAVE VACCINES,
BOTH HAVE UNKNOWN SHEDDING PERIODS. IF HORSES NEED NOT BE ROUTINELY
EUTHANIZED IN BITE CASES, THEN NEITHER DO FERRETS.
<end text>
Howard Davis,
Humane Affairs Coordinator
League of Independent Ferret Enthusiasts
[Posted in FML issue 1648]
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